Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Location: Grand Junction
Posted on: June 6, 2021

Job Description:

Summary

The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) is assigned to the Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SARRTP) at the VA Western Colorado Healthcare System.

Responsibilities

The incumbent provides a wide range of vocational services to veterans with disabilities of varying type and severity. Many of these veterans have multiple disabilities and major barriers in employment and the incumbent tailor's services to meet their needs. the VRS assists in finding training and employment opportunities closely aligned with their vocational goals, interests, and abilities. Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Determines the vocational goals and objectives of SARRTP residents by conducting a vocational assessment, through observation, supervision, and follow-up with therapeutic work sites. Determines the extent to which the resident possesses the knowledge, skills, or abilities necessary to meet the goals or objectives. Determines training needs established by the agency or Federal guidance for expenditure of agency funds. Analyzes mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps, in terms of the practical effects of such handicaps on motivations, adjustment to training, and challenges in employment placement. Participates in treatment planning with other disciplines within the SARRTP. Provides vocational counseling to individual participants and/or groups of clients. Conducts seminars for other professional staff concerning vocational rehabilitation. The VRS will coordinate with various community agencies that offer training opportunities. Establish a referral process with these agencies and ensure an appropriate Release of Information is secured. Monitor training progress of SARRTP Veterans, through frequent meetings with clients, staff, and work area Supervisors. Develop and maintain contact with companies and agencies in the community by correspondence, telephone, and personal contacts for the purpose of securing work for Veterans. Maintain day-to-day contact with potential employers, placement personnel, or other likely placement resources. Oversees the placement program and approves any new placement facilities proposed. Finds suitable employment opportunities. The placement requires an in-depth analysis of the environmental demands at the work site. Determine facility modifications or adjustments to accommodate the client's limitations. Evaluates the results of the program and makes sound professional arguments for recommended changes. Counsel and guides Veteran through difficult transition or rough spots in the adjustment to the job. Assists employer understand the nature of the resident's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the resident's capability to succeed. Reports program progress in accordance with established procedure. Assist with resume writing, interviewing skills, job coaching and job hardening skills. The VRS will keep the rest of the treatment team appraised on Veteran's progress regarding employment. Coordinate discharge plans with the rest of the treatment team. Assist the rest of the treatment team on program development/evaluation projects and will contribute towards continuous readiness for upcoming surveys. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Sunday - Thursday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: VRS GS-1715-11 / 12736-A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/20/2021. 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-9. 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. Specialized Experience: You 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: 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. 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 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education (beyond the first 2 full years of graduate level education). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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 physical demands of the position are sedentary to light. In addition to performing work in office settings, the position requires that the employee visit patients at TSES/CWT worksites around the Medical Center and in the community. The driving of government vehicles on station and around the community is required.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Additional Information

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 for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. 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 view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Keywords: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Grand Junction , Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, Other , Grand Junction, Colorado