VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELOR

Summary

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 purpose, objectives, services, and outcomes are developed by the VRC during the evaluation. The program's primary focus will be on helping the Veteran find work and set goals and objectives to help them become more independent in their daily lives.

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

09 / 20 / 2024 to 09 / 27 / 2024

Salary

$51,332 - $96,770 per year

Salary is based on the general schedule base table. Locality pay tables are applicable as selections are made.

Pay scale & grade

GS 9 - 12

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Locations

• Indianapolis, IN 1 vacancy
• Baltimore, MD 1 vacancy
• Newark, NJ 1 vacancy
• Cleveland, OH 1 vacancy
• Show more locations (3)
• Harrisburg, PA 1 vacancy
• Philadelphia, PA 1 vacancy
• Pittsburgh, PA 1 vacancy
• Remote job
• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed
• Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential
• Job family (Series)
• 0101 Social Science
• Supervisory status
• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test
• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS) / Low Risk

• Trust determination process
• Suitability / Fitness
• Financial disclosure
• Bargaining unit status
• Announcement number

NED-24-DS-12552699-BU

Control number

810619400

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This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees (career or career-conditional) of the Department of Veterans Affairs

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Duties

• 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.

Work Schedule : 8 : 00 am to 4 : 30pm

Compressed / Flexible : Available

Telework : Available

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Position Description / PD# : 38544A, 38543A, 38542A

Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not authorized

Financial Disclosure Report : Not required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• 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 / 27 / 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.

For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09.

For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11.

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.

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.

Basic Requirement :

• 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and / or education as described below : GS-09 : There are no additional qualification requirements at this grade level.GS-11 :

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.

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). OR,

Education : Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. 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 two years of higher-level graduate education.

GS-12 :

Specialized Experience : You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

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)

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 position is primarily in an office setting.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http : / / : / / 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 : http : / / www.ed.gov / about / offices / list / ous / international / usnei / us / edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

BA Top Jobs Video : https : / / www.youtube.com / watch?v uyRI5EkgiHkVA 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.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee.

VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service.

This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Special Employment Consideration : VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.

3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities , and / or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.

Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal / VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.

To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy.

Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http : / / www.opm.gov / policy-data-oversight / workforce-restructuring / employee-guide-to-career-transition / .

Placement Policy : The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion.

The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members : Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the Who may apply eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position :

• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental ailments, and career guidance.
• Technical Competence - Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on the job experience to perform one's job;

works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues.

Customer Service - Works and communicates with clients and customers (e.g., any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit provides, including individuals who work in your agency or in other agencies or organizations outside the Government) to satisfy their expectations.

Committed to quality services.

Planning and Evaluating - Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them;

coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.

Writing - Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a succinct and organized manner;

produces written information, which may include technical material that is appropriate for the intended audience.

Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial);

makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to;

responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and / or contact for an interview. Your resume and / or supporting documentation will be verified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.