The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position (VRS) is assigned to VHA - Vocational Rehabilitation Program which falls under Mental Health services. VHA-VR provides vocational rehabilitation services at both the Alexandria main campus and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics of the Alexandria VA Healthcare System. The VRS may be assigned to either location.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Determine the extent to which the Veteran possesses the knowledge, skills or abilities necessary to meet their vocational goals and objectives Responsible to ensure that participant is participating in all required treatment such as mental health or addictions. VRS monitors progress and provides interventions when necessary. Ensure that the program participant has a clear understanding of program requirements such as adherence to expectations as spelled out in the program patient handbook. Provides either individual or group training on job seeking skills, resume development, and interview skills. The VRS counsels and guides program participants through difficult transition or rough spots in the adjustment to the job seeking process Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm, subject to change based on needs of facility Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD06212A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required This position is covered by AFGE bargaining unit. Per the Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be: 1st Area of Consideration - Current Facility and CBOC employees; 2nd Area of Consideration - VA Nationwide applicants; 3rd Area of Consideration - Other Status candidates.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/24/2023. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements. To qualify you must possess one of the following: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR, Specialized Experience: 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. In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), applicants must also meet the experience and/or directly related education relevant to this position. To qualify at the GS-11 grade, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level or higher and/or meet educational requirements or a combination of specialized experience and education. Specialized Experience: Evaluates the effect of training and job demands, skill requirements and environmental factors in terms of suitability for the limitations imposed by the physical, mental, or emotional disabilities or other problems of the individuals served by the program; Meets and communicates effectively with others; Negotiates contracts and agreements with prospective employers and training facilities, and to maintains good relationships with them; Gains and keeps the confidence of the individual while he/she is undergoing training or adjustment to a job; Employs the methodology and techniques of counseling (but not full professional knowledge of counseling) in motivating and encouraging the individual -- particularly if he/she has become dependent on others -- to become self-sufficient. Utilizes the principles of vocational rehabilitation, as well as working knowledge of the purposes and services of each of the various professional and technical specialties involved in the rehabilitation process. OR, Education: Substitution 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 (transcripts required). OR, Combination of Specialized Experience and Education: Combination of specialized experience as described above, and graduate education as described above which totals in excess of the second year or an excess of 36 credit hours (transcripts required). Driver's License Requirement: Must possess a valid state issued driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. (Please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. You will be required to show your valid driver's license at the time of your interview.) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Decision MakingFlexibilityInformation ManagementInterpersonal 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. 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 work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. 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 Alexandria VA Medical Center 2495 Shreveport Highway Pineville, LA 71360 US
• Name: Deborah Pressley
• Phone: 828-318-7609
• Email: [email protected]