This position is within located the Veterans Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program. Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) carries out all duties related to assisting Veterans and Service members with completing their program of rehabilitation services.

Duties

Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) is responsible for the provision, supervision, and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or Servicemembers participating in the various programs described in Chapters 36 and 31, and for selected participants under Chapters 18 and 35, of Title 38 U.S.C. Authorizes all necessary services and benefits, and receives, reviews, and authorizes all charges for services before submitting invoices to the Finance Division for payment. Provides case management services including coordination of all rehabilitation services, employment services, documentation of progress and adjustment, and maintenance of case records according to VA regulations. Act as Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) to acquire evaluation, case management, employment, and other services needed in the rehabilitation process. Provide training and supervision to contract service providers to ensure that the services rendered are appropriate and in accordance with accepted professional standards. Case management services provided will include assistance applying for VA benefits and resolving individual VA benefits issues; referrals for medical and mental health services; transition support; and development of community and on-campus resources to provide comprehensive services to Veteran Students. Provides coordination of all rehabilitation services, such as financial decisions, adjusts rehabilitation plans, and coordinates employment services. Makes minor adjustments to rehabilitation plans, if necessary for the Veteran to meet the goals of the original plan. Research resources and funding available in the community for consumers. Provides comprehensive employment and post-employment services which include assessing employability and assisting in the development of an employment assistance plan. Responsible for the provision, supervision and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or Service members participating in the various programs. Perform all other duties assigned. 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: Monday through Friday, full time (40 hours a week) 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (PS Time) schedule; Hours may vary to effectively carry out the mission. Telework: Available; Per agency Guidelines Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: 38706A, 38707A Bargaining Unit: This is a Bargaining Unit Position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/07/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at 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. For a GS-11 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. 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 must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade.General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes. Individual Occupational Requirements: To qualify for the VRS position, candidates must meet the following IOR requirements. Informational Note: All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement and Specialized experience as stated below, to qualify. Please make sure documents (i.e. resume, transcripts) include all your qualifying experience and education. Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. ALL TRANSCRIPTS MUST SHOW A CONFERRED DATE. OR Experience: Specialized Experience: 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as knowledge or experience in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development theory and principles; experience in career development process and career development theory. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree, major study - vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education. GS-11: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as knowledge and experience in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development theory and principles; knowledge of rehabilitation counseling skills, techniques, and resources needed to work with Veterans with multiple disabilities, homebound veterans, veterans with acute or chronic mental disabilities and those with problems adjusting to social and occupational requirements. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, major study - vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, or 3 full years of progressively higher- level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. 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 2 full years of graduate level education. 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: Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meeting or customer interactions. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://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. ALL TRANSCRIPTS MUST SHOW A CONFERRED DATE.

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 Reno Regional Benefit Office 5460 Reno Corporate Dr Reno, NV 89511 US
• Name: Erica Barlow
• Phone: 515-323-7575 X43232
• Email: [email protected]