The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist is part of the Behavioral Health Service and serves as a Compensated Work Therapy (CWT)/Supported Employment case manager. The incumbent will provide a variety of vocational services to vocationally challenged patients who may also have psychiatric and other medical disorders associated with vocational impairment.

Duties

Major duties of the position include, but are not limited to: 1. Talking with employers in the community (after signed Release of Information) on behalf of the Veteran, to work towards the goal of employment for the Veteran. 2. Transporting Veterans by using a GOV to job interviews, to a community facility (i.e. library, employment office, etc.) to assist the Veteran with job applications, driving to a Veteran's residence to meet with the Veteran in his/her home and taking Veterans into the community for job searches. 3. Job placement. 4. May develop contract work positions for Veterans within the local community, industry, state and federal agencies. 5. On-the-job supports - checking on the Veteran while at work, if necessary, or mentoring for the Veteran to work out issues that may arise on the job, to help the Veteran maintain employment. As an example, taking the Veteran to a Mental Health appointment to meet with his/her provider might be necessary to help the Veteran. 6. Follow-along supports - Meeting with the Veteran regularly until the Veteran is stable in employment. Even meeting with the Veteran on a semi-regular basis after the Veteran is employed, for support, mentoring, working through issues the Veteran may be having on the job, or to help a Veteran to decide when to leave a job or begin looking for another one. 7. Serves as a liaison to the VA Regional Office for Veterans entitled to education, employment or training benefits through VBA (Veteran's Benefits Administration). 8. Provides personal adjustment and problem-solving counseling, allowing treatment to continue as scheduled. Gives referrals to Veterans for other needs and services as necessary, i.e. homeless programs, community assistance agencies, VA care providers, etc. Driver's License Requirement: This position requires driving a government vehicle to perform the duties of the position; therefore, a current, valid state driver's license is required. Should you be selected for this position, a driver's license verification will be performed with issuing state of your license. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm On occasion, may be expected to assume an irregular tour of duty, which may include evening hours and weekends. Telework: Not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehab Specialist/PD09030A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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, 11/15/2023. 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 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. 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. Basic Requirement: Applicants for this position must meet the basic requirements for this occupational series, as defined in the individual occupational requirement (IOR) established by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). To meet the basic requirement for the Vocational Rehabilitation Occupational series, applicants must demonstrate on of the following: Undergraduate or Graduate degree with a Major in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. You must provide copies of your transcript(s) for verification of education.OR Specialized experienced related to the occupation. Examples of qualifying specialized experience to meet the basic requirement for this occupational series 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. Qualification Requirement for GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: At least one of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience providing employment skills and employment placement services for adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; experience identifying, supporting, and contracting with employers in the community who are willing to hire adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems; experience assisting vocationally challenged individuals with resume development and interview skills; developing professional relationships with community partners; OR Education: I have a master's or equivalent degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B, or J.D., if related; OR Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combination of successfully completed higher level graduate education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for the grade level. Qualification Requirement for GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: At least one of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience providing employment skills and employment placement services for adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; experience identifying, supporting, and contracting with employers in the community who are willing to hire adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; evaluating work environments and making recommendations for workplace accommodations; developing professional relationships with community partners; OR Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctor degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M, if related; OR Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combination of successfully completed higher level graduate education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for the grade level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Interpersonal SkillsTherapy and Counseling 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. Note: 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 job are moderate. Mobility is required to attend meetings throughout the facility and in making contacts within the community. Driving a GOV is part of the physical demands of a VRS. There is stress involved in dealing continually with persons who display a broad variety of psychological problems and/or psychiatric symptoms. On occasion, the incumbent may be expected to assume an irregular tour of duty, which may include evening hours and weekends. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

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

Note: 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 education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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 further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: Susan Oliver
• Phone: 775-326-5783
• Email: [email protected]