The incumbent serves as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) within the Mental Health Service located at the VA Portland Healthcare System. The VRS will provide and coordinate a wide range of vocational rehabilitation and case management services to disabled veterans whose employability or work adjustment is impaired by a physical, mental, emotional or other disability or a lack of basic education and/or job skills.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Works directly with referred veterans and providers who compose the veteran's interdisciplinary team, which typically includes psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, therapists, social workers and other care providers within the facility and in the community. Provides rehabilitation counseling and guidance that facilitates successful adjustment to disabling conditions and the marketplace. Provides services to participants starting at the time of their program admission and continuing through their transition into employment or training. Develops individualized mutually acceptable rehabilitation service plans, the provision of highly specialized services to individuals with severe and multiple disabilities and the negotiation of modification in training and work environments on a frequent basis. Assists veterans in developing vocational goals and objectives in line with their interests, aptitudes, and capabilities. Ascertains the requirements necessary to meet vocational training objectives and coordinates with various resources to find, evaluate and select a training facility. Analyzes mental and physical disabilities and other impairments in terms of the practical effects of such impairment on the veterans' motivation, adjustment to training and difficulty in employment placement. Finds suitable employment opportunities and monitors placements to promote successful work adjustment. Enters all assessments and the results of evaluation data into the electronic medical record system. Tracks participant progress in the NEPEC data system. Responsible for creating a network of employment resources for the clients they serve. Coordinates with various resources to locate services and employment opportunities in the community that will be suitable for the individual participant from the standpoint of their individual needs and barriers. Addresses employer and/or educator's concerns about veterans with disabilities, educates employers and/or educators about reasonable accommodation and programs that assist in work and educational adjustment. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD213590 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade requirements and specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 08/21/2024. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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. 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. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the GS 1715 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below: Undergraduate and graduate education Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position (Transcript required). 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 Individual Occupational Requirement requirements, applicants may qualify based on 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the principles and theoretical concepts of vocational rehabilitation. Providing ongoing vocational counseling and support to individuals with severe and multiple disabilities. Providing vocational assessment and planning to develop individualized service plans for these individuals. Creating a network of training and employment resources for clients served. Utilizing a variety of fact-finding techniques to identify aspects of successful program operations. Develops professional relationships to assist participants in obtaining training and employment. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. with a major study in 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 graduate level education beyond 2 years (36 semester hours) as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Note: Transcripts required. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) - A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Maintain a valid state issued Driver's License and a safe driving record. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: AccessibilityCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)PsychologyTherapy and Counseling 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 sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items, such as papers, books, or small parts; or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. VRS will be required to drive a government automobile during performing work. Must be able to pass physical/driver certification 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 VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Gabriella Granderson
• Phone: (281) 928-2981
• Email: [email protected]