This position is located at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) and provides care within a large geographically dispersed region encompassing four-time zones, with employees working beyond the International Date Line. VA PIHCS consists of multiple Community-Based Outpatient Centers on multiple islands, an Ambulatory Care Clinic (ACC) and a Center for Aging/Community Living Center located on the campus of Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Duties

The primary focus of the VHA VRS is to promote optimal occupational functioning in individualized competitive community placement with Veterans whose employability or job adjustment is impaired by any number of medical/mental health diagnoses and/or employment The primary focus of the VHA VRS is to promote optimal occupational functioning in individualized competitive community placement with Veterans whose employability or job adjustment is impaired by any number of medical/mental health diagnoses and/or employment. Major Duties include, but are not limited to: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) staff will assist Veteran in making face-to-face contact with employers within 30 days of referral to the program. These contacts may increase in frequency if more intensive support is needed due to periods of job instability. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) develops strategies to engage Veterans who may be ambivalent about actively pursuing employment or risk a reduction of benefits due employment. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) recommends appropriate psychological/vocational interventions as part of each Veteran's individual treatment plan and assures appropriate consultation for specialized psychological services. The Veterans Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) receives consults, outreaches to, interviews, completes assessments, and develops comprehensive, person-centered employment plans with Veterans that have significant barriers to employment for competitive employment in the community. Performs other related duties as assigned. These include but are not limited to billing, completing payroll and maintaining NEPEC and CARF requirements. Providing most services in the community and will be required to transport veterans in a federal government vehicle. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: HR Specialist Total Rewards Work Schedule: Monday - Friday -7:30am - 04:00pm, subject to change based on the needs of the agency. Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD06520A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/31/2024. 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-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 must meet at least one of the Basic Requirement criteria below: Undergraduate/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. -OR- 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. -OR- 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 the Basic Requirement, you may qualify based on your 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: Experience negotiating with multiple groups, collaborating with employees and employers and assessing people for their vocational needs. Experience working with people who are homeless is also sought for a candidate. Other important skills include: patience, persistence, knowing how to access and navigate job listings, expertise in resume preparations, relationship building, teaching job interview skills, and matching job to people. -OR- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M if related (Copies of unofficial transcripts must be submitted with application package if using education as a qualifying factor.) TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. -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. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Health Information ExchangeTeamworkTherapy and CounselingVeteran and Customer Focus 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: Light lifting: under 15 pounds; straight pulling (up to 1 hour); pushing (1 - 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; walking (up to 3 hours); standing (up to 3 hours); repeated bending (up to 1 hour); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision and far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required for depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, hearing (aid permitted); climbing stairs; mentally alert; both legs required for operation of motor vehicle; and frequent keyboarding to operate a computer. 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 Spark M Matsunaga Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 459 Patterson Road Honolulu, HI 96819 US
• Name: Shavone Allen
• Phone: 832-879-7349
• Email: [email protected]