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

Duties

Responsible for the provision, supervision and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or Servicemembers participating in various programs. Authorizes all necessary services and benefits, and receives, reviews and authorizes all charges for services before submitting invoices to 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. Acts as Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) to acquire evaluation, case management, employment, and other services needed in the rehabilitation process. Provides training and supervision to contract service providers to assure that the services rendered are appropriate and in accordance with accepted professional standards. Case management services provide will include assistance applying for VA benefits and resolving individual VA benefits issues; and development of community and on-campus resources to provide comprehensive services to Veterans 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 plans. Perform all other duties assigned.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A probationary period may be required for employees and supervisors.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• You will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Remote: This is not a remote position.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement,08/23/2024. Time-in-grade: Applicants who are/were federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at GS-9.To support your claim of time in grade, you must submit your most recent appointment, promotion, or within grade increase SF-50. Some applicants may have to submit more than one SF-50 to demonstrate their eligibility. See the required documents section for more information. The Office of Personnel Management's group coverage qualification standards, associated individual occupational requirements (IOR), and individual qualification standards covering white collar occupations in the Federal competitive service can be found here. AND Please Note: This series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). Applicants will be required to meet both the IOR listed below, as well as the specialized experience listed on the announcement. The Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for the Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position is as follows: Education Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. 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. To qualify, in addition to the IOR listed above, applicants must also meet the specialized experience listed below: Specialized Experience:GS-9: To qualify, applicants 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 work that involves: demonstrated 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 Graduate Education: Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded Master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university, or have completed two full years (36 semester hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This graduate degree or education must involve major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Specialized Experience:GS-11: To qualify, applicants 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 work that involves: demonstrated 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 challenges adjusting to social and occupational requirements. OR Graduate Education: Applicants may substitute education for experience with an awarded Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (such as an LL.M.) from an accredited college or university, or have completed three full years (54 semester hours or 81 quarter hours) of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This graduate degree or education must involve major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: 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.

Education

Graduate Education Combination GS-9: If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-9. To calculate, first identify the education you have earned beyond your first year of study as a percentage of a total of two years of study. Then identify the number of months of specialized experience you have as a percentage of 12 months. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent in order to be qualifying. For example, an applicant who has 27 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required beyond the first 18 credit hours earned) and who has 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the one year of specialized experience required) would meet 100% and thus be qualified for the position. This graduate degree or education must involve major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Graduate Education Combination GS-11:If you have some, but not all, of the graduate education described above AND less than one full year of the specialized experience described above, you may qualify by combining the amount of creditable education and experience that you do have. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the GS-11 grade level. To calculate, first identify the education you have earned beyond your first two years of study as a percentage of a total of three years of study. Then identify the number of months of specialized experience you have as a percentage of 12 months. Add the two percentages. The total must equal at least 100 percent in order to be qualifying. For example, an applicant who has 45 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e., 50% of graduate education required beyond the two years which is required for GS-9) and who has 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e., 50% of the one year of specialized experience required) would meet 100% and thus be qualified for the position. This graduate degree or education must involve major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Note: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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. 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.

Contacts

• Address Providence Regional Benefit Office 380 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 US
• Name: Daniel Sykes
• Phone: 313-596-7200
• Email: [email protected]