The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) are located in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Office (RO) Oakland with additional locations in Sacramento and Fresno, California, VRCs in the VBA provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling and case management services to disabled Veterans and other eligible individuals. Assessment is the first service of value provided to 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 Veteran Readiness and Employment Program is on achieving an employment outcome for the veteran. Duties are divided between counseling duties and case management and include, but are not limited to:

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.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, 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.
• The salary range indicated in this announcement will be adjusted to include locality payment for selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2024. Time-in-Grade Requirements: Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. NOTE: All current or former Federal employees must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure (1 or 2), and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirements and Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): VBA VRCs require the following education to meet minimum qualification standards - Education Requirement: 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: (1) Supervised Internship: Education must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling 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 (2) Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. Minimum Qualifications for this GS-0101-09 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position: To qualify for the GS-09 grade level, you must meet the basic education requirement as described above. Minimum Qualifications for this GS-0101-11 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must possess one of the following: (1) One year of post-master's degree professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-09 level providing vocational rehabilitation counseling to eligible individuals, other than those in correctional facilities. OR, Education for GS-11: Successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or have a PH.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology. NONQUALIFYING 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 credited for the Basic Requirement, that year cannot also be used for qualifying at the GS-11 level. Minimum Qualifications for this GS-0101-12 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must possess one of the following: (1) One year of post-master's degree professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-11 level providing professional vocational rehabilitation counseling work in delivery to adults with disabilities; working cases that involve determining benefit entitlements; providing direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. There is no educational substitution at the GS-12 grade level. 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; religious; 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. For work in the federal service, include the grade level for the position(s).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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.va.gov/vapubs/viewPublication.asp?Pub_ID=1358&FType=2

Education

This position requires specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

If you are claiming education as any part of your qualifications for this position, you must submit an official transcript, unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Oakland Regional Benefit Office 1301 Clay Street, Rm. 1400 North Oakland, CA 94612 US
• Name: Carol Fortin
• Phone: 515-323-7587
• Email: [email protected]