The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position is under the Mental Health Service Line (MHSL) of the Cheyenne VA Health Care System (CVAHCS). The primary purpose of this position is to provide vocational rehabilitation, training, and placement for Veterans participating in VHA Vocational Rehabilitation.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Provides vocational rehabilitation services, including assessment and intervention, to the assigned area, within the scope his/her competencies, and determines when consultation for specialized psychological services is required. Establishes and maintains long-term therapeutic relationships while providing personal adjustment counseling and other appropriate counseling techniques. Provides job development services. Counsels and guides Veterans through difficult transitions while adjusting. Assesses the feasibility of employment and vocational rehabilitation services to Veterans with disabilities by using knowledge of the veteran's physical and mental abilities acquired through interviews, medical reports, test results, progress in vocational and rehabilitation treatment, and the job market. Ensures that Vocational Rehabilitation Services operations, documentation, and information reporting systems are compliant with the guidelines and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA), as well as are compliant with the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), CARF and other relevant accrediting bodies. Monitors and reports to the North East Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) the summary data utilized for the associated performance measures, which are involved in this initiative. Maintains awareness of the program's development. Solicits and develops employment opportunities for veterans through a wide array of employment search approaches and activities within the local, industry, state, and federal agencies. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency Requirement: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ In addition to meeting the English Language Proficiency, to qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: 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. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling or other fields related that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling or other fields related that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingInterpersonal SkillsTherapy and Counseling IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work involves traveling in the local area, and so involves some driving and walking. Some of the work is sedentary, although the stress involved in dealing continually with persons in emotional distress and who may be uncooperative and occasionally assaultive makes this work notably more demanding than most sedentary positions. 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

IMPORTANT: 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 Cheyenne VA Medical Center 2360 East Pershing Boulevard Cheyenne, WY 82001 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]