Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling and case management services to disabled Veterans and other eligible individuals. The primary emphasis of the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Program is on achieving an employment outcome for the Veteran.

Duties

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation, counseling, and case management services to disabled veterans and other eligible individuals. The primary emphasis of the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Program is on achieving an employment outcome for the veteran. The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor is located within the Regional Office (RO), RO out-based office locations, VetSuccess On Campus (VSOC) school sites, or Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) military installations. Duties are divided between counseling duties and case management and include, but are not limited to: Performs initial rehabilitation evaluations, entitlement assessments, rehabilitation planning, problem-solving and adjustment counseling, case management, including the coordination of all rehabilitation services, case documentation, employment services, and, as necessary, the administration and interpretation of vocation testing. Provides services for employer consultation, employment development and placement, career counseling, and vocational planning and assessment. Combines data from diagnostic tests and medical records to give a comprehensive picture of strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and interests to help patients find a suitable employment or independent living objective. Partners with Vet Centers, career centers, local Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program, Specialists, Local Veterans' Employment Representatives, VA employment programs, and others to provide job search and placement services. Provides information and assistance with the VR&E program through individual and group therapy sessions. Conducts counseling using a variety of approaches, including Tele- counseling, depending on the needs of the Veteran. Partners with administrators at schools, Vet Centers, military bases, and federal, state, and local agencies to determine the individual needs of service members and veterans and to provide the essential assistance. 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. The grade progression for this position is: GS-09/11/12. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday (hours to be determined by hiring office) Compressed/Flexible Schedule: May be available as determined by the hiring office Telework: May be available as determined by the hiring office Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description Title/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor; 38544A, 38543A, 38542A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: 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 period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 09/24/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level. If you are a current VBA employee outside of the commuting area seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold a GS-09 grade level or higher, and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-12. 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. BASIC REQUIREMENTS:This position is covered by a single agency qualification standard. All applicants must meet the Basic Educational Requirements and Specialized Experience described below, to qualify. Education. Successful completion of a master's degree (or higher) in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work from an accredited college or university. Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows: Supervised Internship: The education in paragraph 1a must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counselling or case management specialization. The internship must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs. OR Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. Grandfathering Provision: VRCs employed in VBA on the effective date of this qualification standard (July 28, 2023) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certifications that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: VRCs who are grandfathered into the GS-0101 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level of a career ladder or changed to a lower grade within the occupation or placed in a supervisory or managerial position. VRCs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not be extended or reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard. If VRCs who are grandfathered under this provision leave the occupation, they lose protected status and must meet the full qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the time-in-grade and education requirements, you must also meet the following grade-specific qualification requirements. NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying. If one year of work experience is substituted for an internship, that year cannot also be used for qualifying at the GS-11/GS-12 levels. GS-09 Grade Level: There are no additional qualification requirements at this grade level. GS-11 Grade Level: Education. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in the qualifying fields listed above. OR Experience. Completion of one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level. Specialized experience reflects the management of vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management workload involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). GS-12 Grade Level: Experience. One year of specialized vocational rehabilitation experience in a federal, state and/or private vocational rehabilitation setting equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Professional experience reflects the management of vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management workload involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). This is the journey (or full performance) level for this occupation. There is no educational substitution for the GS-12 grade level. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, and/or carrying lightweight items.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application. It must include your coursework and date of conferral of a Master's degree in one of the approved fields listed in the Qualifications section of this announcement.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit.

Contacts

• Address Denver Regional Benefit Office 155 Van Gordon St Lakewood, CO 80228 US
• Name: Lindsay Pfannenstiel
• Phone: (303) 914-5499 X3620
• Email: [email protected]