This Peer Specialist position may be filled as a GS-5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 in the Mental Health Service Line at the Irondale, Alabama location for the Birmingham VA Health Care System. The position functions as an interdisciplinary team member, assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program and perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks.

Duties

The GS-05, 06, 07 or GS-08 Peer Specialist will serve in a developmental capacity to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of routine assignments found at the full-performance level. The key functions of the GS-09 Full Performance level duties include, but are not limited to: Provides emotional support to encourage positive change during the Veteran's recovery process, including checking in with the Veteran on how he/she is feeling and managing and regularly asking about the Veteran's current needs. Keeps the multidisciplinary team informed of high-risk behaviors and other concerns for the Veteran by attending and participating in scheduled case conferences and team meetings. Assists Veterans in creating their own individual wellness and recovery plan. Teaches Veterans to develop goal of self well-being. Facilitates peer lead groups focused on mental health recovery. Assists Veterans with obtaining services tailored to them. Assists Veterans with exploring options for obtaining housing. Serves as a liaison with community-based consumer-run and/or consumer-supportive organizations. Orient Veterans new to the programs in which they work about the services, hours, locations, staff and other pertinent information necessary for the Veteran to understand the program and how to utilize it. Assist Veterans in building social skills in the community that will enhance job acquisition and tenure using such techniques as role playing. Handle crisis interventions for any program patient or address other emergency situations. Completes appropriate documentation, follow-up reports, timely and accurately. Promotion Potential: Selection may be made at the GS-05, GS-06, GS-07, GS-08, or GS-09 (Peer Specialist) levels. The selectee for a lower grade 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, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Peer Support Specialist/PD#99695-S;99696-S;99697-S;99701-S;99702-S Telework: Ad-hoc Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized 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, 04/30/2024. 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. 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 REQUIREMENTS FOR PEER SUPPORT APPRENTICES, GS-0102-05: As a Peer Support Apprentice hired to become a certified Peer Specialist, a Veteran must have spent a minimum of 1 year in recovery from a mental health condition. In all cases, Peer Support Apprentices must actively pursue becoming certified as required to serve as a Peer Specialist by 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13)(B). At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the Peer Support Apprentice with the written requirements for becoming certified, the date by which he or she must become certified, and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to become certified by the prescribed date will result in removal from this GS-0102 occupation and may result in termination of employment. A. Statutory Requirements. Section 405 of Public Law 110-387, as codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13), established that to be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must: (1) be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition; AND (2) be certified by - (a) a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for a peer specialist position; OR (b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position. B. Length of Experience as a Consumer of Mental Health Recovery Services. Veterans eligible under 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13) must have spent a minimum of 1 year in personal recovery from a mental health condition. References : VA Handbook 5005/59, Part II, Appendix F3, Peer Support Apprentice/Peer Specialist QUALIFICATION STANDARD , dated July 17, 2012. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: For GS-06 through GS-09: Possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Peer Specialist position, and that is typically in or directly related to the work of this position. Examples of this specialized experience is progressively responsible, post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing counseling to support peers in mental health and/or addiction recovery, a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services, a psychiatric therapy aide, or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery, OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR PEER SPECIALISTS, GS-0102-06 through GS-09: Graduate education or a post-bachelor's degree internship meets the specialized experience required for GS-06/09. NOTE: EDUCATION MUST BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE WORK OF THIS POSITION (Transcripts are REQUIRED and must show the course work directly related to this position.) GS-6: 6 months of directly related graduate education (9 semester hours) GS-7: 1 full year of directly related graduate education (18 semester hours) GS-8: 1 1/2 years of directly related graduate education (27 semester hours) GS-9: 2 full years of directly related graduate education (36 semester hours) PLEASE 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. Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-06 through GS-09 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of directly related graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position at the GS-7 level. A transcript MUST be submitted with your application if you are basing any part of your qualifications on education for GS-06 through GS-09. (Unofficial transcripts are OK.) There is no educational substitution for the GS-05 level. 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. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Satisfactory physical examination as determined by the Employee Health Unit upon appointment only. This work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee will sit to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items (such a books, papers, etc.), accessing transportation, and/or driving a government vehicle. The work requires patience and control of emotions. The work may require occasional use of appropriate techniques to physically restrain clients who present a danger to self or others.VA facilities must make reasonable accommodation for the physical or mental limitations of an applicant or employee who is a qualified person with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the department or agency. 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

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Problem Solving
• Communication
• Teaches Others

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.

Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your picture with your application package. Please cut out or cover your picture on your driver license and submit with your application packet. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license.

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.

Contacts

• Address Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: Lynn Rixmann
• Phone: 910-574-6543
• Email: [email protected]