The William Jennings Bryan Dorn Department of VAMC, Columbia Social Work Service Line is recruiting for a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists. The assigned Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists will work within the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program. The overall focus is to promote optimal vocational functioning of Veteran's within the community.

Duties

As a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, you will be expected to aid homeless and unemployed veterans who have been referred though a variety of sources in acquiring and maintaining employment. You will provide therapeutic employment services such as skills training and development services, employment support services, and job development and placement services. An ability to conduct assessment of assigned veterans and develop a job development interventions which will be specified in the Veterans Treatment Plan. You will also work closely with members of the interdisciplinary team including physicians, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Social Workers, HUD/VASH caseworkers, and other health care providers for the veterans on their case load. Duties of the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist will include but are not limited to: The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) within the Supported Employment (SE) program is responsible for utilizing the practices of the Evidence Based Recovery Model to provide individualized job finding and job retention services to patients with significant barriers to employment. The VRS also works closely with members of the interdisciplinary team including Physicians, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Therapists, Social Workers, and other care providers within the facility and in the community. The VRS will provide assistance with job seeking skills and strategies as needed. The VRS will utilize job finding techniques such as job carving to assist the program participant in obtaining community employment. During the job seeking process, the VRS will work closely with interdisciplinary teams such as MHICM to assist the program participant in obtaining and maintaining suitable community employment. The VRS is also responsible for entering initial assessments data, Individualized Service Delivery Plans, and discharge summaries into the electronic medical record. The knowledge to successfully complete comprehensive assessment. Requires the ability to select the pertinent techniques for data collection and to identify aspects of successful program operations that can be used for improving similar programs. Based on referral from a professional staff member or by utilizing the Vocational Assessment Profile with the program participant, determines the areas of vocational interests, and determines what services such as job seeking skills training, resume development, or interview skills training the program participant may require in order to successfully obtain suitable employment. 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: Friday, 8:00am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available 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. Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD07350A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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, 03/14/2024. 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. 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-011 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 1) 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. 2) 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. 3) 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. -OR-, Education: 1) 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. 2) 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. 3) 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.. -OR-, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the amount required for the next lower grade level is qualifying. (NOTE: A transcript or course listing must be submitted if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ClericalCommunicationPartneringVeteran 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: Physical Requirements: This position requires the incumbent to drive on a regular basis, as 75% of their time will be spent in the community in job development, networking, and providing follow-up support to Veterans who are employed. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: REGINA MARTIN-LYNCH
• Phone: 843-789-6171
• Email: [email protected]