The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position (VRS) position is located within Behavioral Health Service Line, Social Work and Vocational Rehabilitation Division at the VA SORCC in White City, Oregon. The Supported Employment program falls under the umbrella of the VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services - Compensated Work Therapy program.

Duties

Duties include but not limited to: Based on information gathered from the treatment team, biopsychosocial assessments, participant interviews the Vocational Assessment Profile (VAP), the VRS CBES Specialist assists the Veteran in developing vocational objectives which align with individual employment related factors such as their interests, skills, preferences, needs, limitations, barriers, and capabilities. The VRS will determine the extent to which the participant possesses the knowledge, skills, or abilities needed to meet the vocational goal and related objectives. The VRS will guide the Veteran in selecting a viable and achievable goal and building a plan to achieve the goal. The VRS is responsible for entering initial assessments data, individualized service delivery plans, and discharge summaries into the electronic medical record. Assessments and evaluations must adhere to all CARF guidelines. Assessments and evaluations must consider all factors that impact the patient's ability to obtain and maintain suitable employment. In addition, the VRS is responsible for tracking Veterans in programming by utilizing the NEPEC system. The VRS networks with community employers, community agencies, and community businesses with the goal of developing professional relationships with these groups to assist program participants in obtaining and maintaining suitable community employment. The VRS coordinates with various resources to locate employment opportunities in the community that will be suitable for the individual program participant from the standpoint of their individual strengths, needs abilities and preferences. The VRS works with established programs to provide significant modifications to accommodate the program participant's limitations. VRS is responsible for conducting rapid engagement with the program participant. This would include engaging the program participant in conversations about work and introducing the idea of return-to work activities early in the process. The VRS will engage the program participant in activities such as resume development, job seeking training, and interviewing skills instruction as soon as possible. The VRS will assist the program participant in networking with contacts within the community, and members of their personal support group. The VRS will provide ongoing support and guidance to the program participant throughout all phases of the job search. The VRS ensures that the program participant has a clear understanding of program requirements such as adherence to expectations as spelled out in program documents provided at intake. The VRS meets with the participant on regular intervals to monitor progress towards goals and make any necessary changes to the VR Treatment Plan. The VRS may be responsible for providing either individual or group training on job seeking skills, resume development, interview skills, etc. The VRS counsels and guides program participants through difficult transitions or rough spots in the adjustment to the job seeking process. The VRS may provide various levels of intervention when assisting the program participant in conducting a comprehensive job search. The VRS will assist the Veteran in networking with contacts within the community, and members of their personal support group. The VRS will provide ongoing support and guidance to the Veteran throughout all phases of the job search. The VRS will provide support and encouragement to the Veteran including assistance with submitting resumes, completing applications, and job interview preparation. The VRS will continue to work with the interdisciplinary team as the Veteran progresses in their job search to ensure that participant is participating in all required treatment such as mental health or addictions. The team will work collaboratively to ensure the Veteran's needs are being met. The VRS well seek opportunities to provide constructive feedback to the Veteran. 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD90475A and PD90476A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approve Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 01/02/2025. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. You may qualify based on your specialized experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupation Requirements: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR Specialized Experience : 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. You may qualify based on your specialized experience and/or education as described below: For GS-9: Specialized Experience: An applicant 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program; identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities; recognizing problem areas needing special attention; providing therapeutic services to Veterans whose employability or job adjustment is impaired by physical, mental, emotional or other disability of by lack of basic education, job skills, or other disadvantaged background condition utilizing appropriate interventions that achieve the vocational goals of the VR treatment plan; OR, Education: See Education Tab. OR, Combination: See Education Tab. For GS-11: Specialized Experience: An applicant 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities identifying, evaluating and making effective use of resources to serve individuals with disabilities recognizing problem areas needing special attention developing, marketing and experience in securing jobs identifying participant strengths, interest, skills, barriers, limitations, and needs identifying and arranging long-term supports to help Veterans maintain employment identifying successful program operations can be used for improving similar programs utilizing a variety of fact-finding techniques in order to resolve issues; OR, Education: See Education Tab. OR, Combination: See Education Tab. Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and TrainingInterpersonal SkillsTechnical CompetenceTherapy and CounselingVehicle Operation 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 primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. A portion of time (40%-60% of time) is spent travelling by government vehicle to meet with Veterans or employers in the community or other external partners who contribute to the workforce system. The stress related to providing services to Veterans in emotional distress or who may be demanding and uncooperative, can be more significant than that of most sedentary positions. 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

For GS-09:

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Masters or equivalent graduate degree; OR 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, OR LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. An applicant must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. For the GS-09, only graduate education in excess of 18 semester hours (1 years) is creditable. For example, an applicant has 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 and 1 year of graduate level education. The applicant meets 50 percent of the required experience but none of the required education, since he or she does not have any graduate study beyond that which is required for GS-7. Therefore, the applicant meets only 50 percent of the total requirement and is not qualified for the position. (The applicant's first year of graduate study is not qualifying for GS-9.). (Transcripts Required)

For GS-11:

• 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. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR have successfully completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position; OR have successfully completed a LL.M., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level. For the GS-11, an applicant must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's degree or more than 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. For example, an applicant has 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9 and 2 1/2 years of creditable graduate level education in music. The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education, i.e., the applicant has 1/2 year of graduate study beyond that required for GS-9. Therefore, the applicant exceeds the total requirement and is qualified for the position. (The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11.) TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

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 White City VA Medical Center 8495 Crater Lake Highway White City, OR 97503 US
• Name: John Buan
• Phone: 503-220-8262 X59964
• Email: [email protected]