The Veterans Affairs Southern Nevada Health Care System (VASNHCS) is a Level I-b facility and ranks among a complex system in the VA serving the VA Sierra Pacific Network (VISN 21). The VASNHCS offers a full range of comprehensive health care services including Dentistry. Geriatrics and Extended Care. Imaging. Medicine Services. Mental Health Services. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service. The VASNI ICS offers several special medical programs to include Centers of Specialized Expertise.

Duties

The incumbent will be an employee of Behavioral Health Service. The focus of the incumbent is to promote optimal vocational functioning of Veterans within the community, in the context of prescribed job development interventions specified in the Veteran's treatment plan. Major duties include, but not limited to: Engages Veterans and establishes trusting collaborative relationships directed toward the goal of competitive employment in community job settings with other workers without psychiatric disabilities. Maintains day-to-day contact with potential employers, placement personnel, or other likely placement resources and networks with local businesses and employers who are directly related to the interest and desires of the clients. Along with the Veteran's permission, provides education and support to family members; discuss sensitively Veteran's preferences for disclosure of psychiatric status to employers Provides follow-along support to assist Veterans maintain competitive employment, including but not limited to, transportation skills, coaching on work skills, support with coworkers, and negotiations with supervisors for appropriate reasonable accommodations if needed. Provides personal adjustment and problem-solving counseling to allow treatment to continue schedule by using effective coaching and counseling skills to determine the causes and extent of the adjustment problem. Assists clients in obtaining information about their benefits (e.g., SSI, Medicaid, SSDI, etc.) and how they will be affected by employment for clients to make good decisions about employment opportunities. Assesses clients' vocational functioning on an ongoing basis by utilizing background information, work experiences, and the Vocational Assessment Profiles (VAP). Assesses training needs to meet client's vocational goals and analyzes mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps, in terms of the practical effects of such handicaps on motivations, adjustment to training, and difficulty in employment placement. VRS can be primary point of contact for the Veteran while in coordination with the treating clinical team during periods of time when employment can continue for several years Pursues and maintains employer contacts based on individual Veteran's interest. Employer contacts can occur through direct client involvement or advocacy on behalf of the clients based on the strategic plan objectives. Participates in team meetings to be aware of any clinical concerns and shares strategies, progress, and needed support with other members of the primary clinical treatment team. Facilitates relationships between clients and co-workers to enhance the client's job satisfaction and build natural supports in the workplace. Develops, maintains, and nurtures positive employer relationships. Develops strategies to engage Veterans who may be reluctant to actively pursue employment or risk a reduction of benefits. Coordinates with various resources to locate a training facility in the community that will be specifically suitable from the standpoint of the needs and problems of the Veteran. Must exercise sound judgement and problem-solving skills in working with employers to ensure successful employment match for the Veterans and the employer. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, subject to change based on the needs of the agency Telework: VA supports the use of telework 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 - Ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD01815A

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/23/2024. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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: 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: 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. 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 or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related to the position (Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position.) (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) 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 one full year of graduate level education. Only graduate education and specialized experience in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-09 grade level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:Analytical ReasoningCommunicationInterpersonal SkillsProblem SolvingTherapy and CounselingExperience 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: In accordance with VA Direction and Handbook 5019The physical demands of this position involve listening, reading, observing and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior and writing reports. Using office equipment such as, but not limited to, computers, telephones, fax machines, photocopy machines and driving throughout the catchment area. Some work is performed in a clinical setting that exposes the incumbent to the communicable disease common to the homeless population. Strenuous physical activity is not 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Las Vegas VA Medical Center 6900 North Pecos Road North Las Vegas, NV 89086 US
• Name: Cynthia Davis
• Phone: 360-750-5363
• Email: [email protected]