The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) is assigned to the Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWT) and works under the administrative and clinical supervision of the Department of Veterans Health Administration CWT Program Manager.

Duties

Determines the vocational goals and objectives of the Veteran based on referral from a staff member and by interviewing the Veteran. Negotiates with representatives of training facilities or institutions in setting up contracts for training. Serves as the primary point of contact between the veteran and the agency during periods of training and work adjustment. Determines area of vocational interest and decide on what services are needed to ensure the Veteran obtains suitable employment. Establishes training programs to satisfy common needs of the Veteran base served. Coordinates with various resources to locate training facilities in the community. Find suitable employment opportunities. Locates, evaluates, and recommends approval of any new placement facilities proposed. Networks with community employers, agencies and business with the goal of developing professional relationships with these groups in order to assist program participants in obtaining and maintaining employment. Evaluates the results of the program and makes sound professional arguments for recommended changes with supervisory input. Reviews and advises supervisor of any significant modifications to the placement contract that are requested. Reports program progress in accordance with established procedure. 16. Involved in helping the veteran resolve emotional and economic problems, uses judgment in determining when professional aid is required and is responsible for arranging the services while encouraging the veteran to accept assistance. Analyzes mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps in terms of practical effects in employment placement. Monitors employment placements and promotes successful adjustment. Counsels and guides Veterans through difficult transition or rough spots in the adjustment to the job. This position is covered by AFGE bargaining unit. Per the AFGE Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be: 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System employees including satellites; 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees; 3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees; 4th Area of Consideration - All Other Status Applicants. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am -4:00pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD07552A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 11/27/2023. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Education Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. or Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): Examples of qualifying specialized experience 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. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 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 with techniques for negotiating with prospective employers to provide opportunities for Veterans and to create environments that maximize the chances for success. Skill of having excellent interpersonal and communication skills to be able to effectively communicate with Veterans and their families, employers, and community agencies. Skill with understanding basic counseling and motivational interviewing skills. Skill with strong written communications skills, including experience with writing resumes, Skill with using MS Word or comparable word processing software to execute several office automations functions. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Substitution of a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related(transcripts required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Combination of specialized experience as described above and graduate education as described above which totals at least one year. [To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.] You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationEducation and TrainingInterpersonal EffectivenessProblem SolvingVeteran and Customer Focus 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 not sedentary, and require a significant amount of time driving, standing, and walking. A valid driver's license is required. The work requires that the incumbent drive on a regular basis as a significant amount of their time may be spent in the community meeting with Veterans, employers and other community agency representatives. 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 New Orleans VA Medical Center 2400 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119 US
• Name: Kathy Carroll
• Phone: 813-503-7921
• Email: [email protected]