This is a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position within the Atlanta VA Medical Center.

Duties

The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist is part of the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. The incumbent will carry out all duties related to attaining and maintaining competitive employment for Veterans assigned to the incumbent's caseload. The focus of the position is to promote optimal vocational functioning of Veterans within the community, in the context of prescribed job development interventions specified in the Veterans' treatment plans. the incumbent will be assigned to the Employment Services for Homeless Veterans (ESHV) component of the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program and will have responsibility for utilizing best practices in conjunction with the VA Homeless services to assist homeless Veterans or Veterans at risk for homelessness to return to community living and competitive employment. Major duties include but are not limited to: Provides employment services to homeless Veterans and works directly with Veterans who have been referred for employment to the continuum of homeless programs from a variety of sources. Provides therapeutic employment services (i.e., skills training and development services, employment support services, and job development and placement services) to homeless Veterans in need of rehabilitation for mental health disorders, including serious mental illnesses, PTSD, and substance use disorders, as well as Veterans with co-occurring physical disorders such as Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Polytrauma, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Works closely with members of the interdisciplinary team including Physicians, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Therapists, Social Workers, HUD-VASH Case Managers, Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) outreach workers, Grant and Per Diem Liaisons, and other care providers within the VA facility and community-based service providers. Works directly with community-based service providers including Grand and Per Diem recipients, HCHV contract bed programs, Homeless Veterans Reintegration Providers (HVRP), and HUD grantees. Liaises with community agencies and community employers with the goal of assisting Veterans in obtaining and maintaining suitable employment. Responsible for interviewing potential Veterans referred t the CWT program (via medical orders and SF 513 consult with appropriate clearances to work in the community) and developing a vocational assessment to identify individual strengths and areas of vocational interests. Utilizes Motivational Interviewing techniques to ensure the highest level of services and uses gathered information to assist the Veterans in identifying occupational areas in which they would like to target their job search. Responsible for assisting Veterans in understanding their financial benefits entitlement programs and housing eligibility requirements. Monitors Veterans' progress, provides feedback and assistance in the job seeking process, and utilizes job development techniques such as job carving to assist the Veterans in obtaining community employment. Continues to work the Veterans, the interdisciplinary team, and the employer to provide ongoing support to the Veterans after they acquire employment, negotiate any work site accommodations, and work to develop natural supports within the community and the work setting. Documents all interactions with the Veterans within the appropriate electronic medical records systems such as CPRS and enters initial assessment data, individualized service delivery plans, and discharge summaries accordingly. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 4:30PM Telework: Ad hoc basis only. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD07337A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/31/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 grade position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 grade. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your Time-In-Grade eligibility must be submitted with your application. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one-year of Time-In-Grade, as required by this job announcement. In that instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates the one-year Time-In-Grade requirement has been met. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that cannot be waived. The education must have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for the GS-1715 occupational series, all applicants must possess one of the following: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate education with a major of study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to this position. OR Specialized Experience: Examples of qualifying specialized experience for this position include: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program. Experience that demonstrated knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources and skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; or of the disadvantaged, including knowledge of adjustment problems of the educationally or culturally disadvantaged, familiarity with available adult education and training resources, and ability to recognize problem areas needing special attention. Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems. You may qualify for this position based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7. Specialized experience for this position typically includes but is not limited to: Experience obtaining occupational information and determining training needs through assessments and/or interviews; Experience documenting accurate information within electronic medical records; Experience identifying employment, skills training and educational resources; Demonstrated skills in explaining benefits, programs and eligibilities to Veterans; OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required specialized experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equal combination of specialized experience and education beyond one (1) full year of graduate education with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Decision Making Written Communication Interpersonal Skills Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve walking, sitting, talking, driving, use of the telephone, etc. Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their day-to-day activities. There is ongoing exposure to individuals having psychiatric and physical illness and disabilities which may include violent or aggressive behavior and chronic psychiatric and medical problems. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the OPM website at this link.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your educational accreditation status here.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For additional information, please review this link.

Contacts

• Address Atlanta VA Medical Center 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]