Summary The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) position is located in the Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) Program focusing on-Therapeutic Supported Employment Services/Compensated Work Therapy (TSES/CWT). The VRS program is located in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Section (PSRR) of Mental Health Services in the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS) at the Rocky Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. Responsibilities Major duties include, but may not be limited to the following: The VRS is assigned to the CWT program and has responsibility for utilizing best practices in conjunction with VA Vocational Services to assist Veterans with major barriers to competitive employment. The VRS provides employment services and works directly with Veterans who have been referred to the CWT program. They work with Veterans whose immediate vocational goal is to work in a competitive, community-based job. The VRS provides therapeutic employment services (skills training and development services, employment support services, job development and placement services) to Veterans who are unemployed, have a history of sporadic employment, difficulty maintaining a job, difficulty initiating and following through with job search, or unable to obtain competitive work independently, or needs more than Vocational Assistance can provide. Works closely with members of the interdisciplinary team including case managers, Grant Per Diem liaisons, social workers, psychiatrists and other care providers within the VA ECHCS. The VRS works with a wide range of community employers and directly with community agencies with the goal of assisting Veterans in obtaining and maintaining suitable employment. They are required to adapt best practices to meet the needs of Veterans who have barriers such as Severe Mental Illness (SMI), substance use disorder, and at risk for or currently homeless. The VRS establishes and maintains close relationships with community employers and ECHCS staff to include members of interdisciplinary team, physicians, vocational rehabilitation. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm 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/PD00023A Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. A valid drivers license is required Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/24/2025. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. or Experience: General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided a knowledge of training practices, techniques, and requirements as they relate to vocational development or rehabilitation. Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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 experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-9: You 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: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities; 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 master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 Full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or education counseling, or other fields related to the position. Education must be related to the position and must demonstrate the knowledge, sills, and abilities necessary to do the work or LL.B. or J.D., if related OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of 6 months specialized experience and 2 years of graduate level education. *Preferred Experience: Practice of vocational rehabilitation with a mental health or substance use population; Principles, theoretical concepts and practice of vocational rehabilitation as well as the administrative mechanisms appropriate to the assignment; Knowledge of job placement, job carving, job accommodations, job coaching and employer needs; Effectively communicate both verbally and in writing; Identifying Veterans' strengths, interests, skills and needs. This allows incumbent to successfully match Veterans to jobs, and to identify and arrange long term supports to help Veterans maintain job; Knowledge of program objectives of local, state and federal agencies to insure that action is appropriate; Types and availability of training and employment resources for Veterans with disabilities. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Communication Computer Skills Stakeholder Management Teaches Others Teamwork Therapy and Counseling 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: Routine physical demands are minor; however, the complexities of the program and treatment required by the Veterans can create extremely stressful situations. The work usually takes place within Rocky Mountain VAMC and Community Based Locations. It occasionally occur away from the Medical Center and in the community (i.e. job sites, transitional housing, agencies, business, etc.). Incumbent will be be at the Rocky Mountain VAMC for meetings with the supervisor and when performing administrative functions. Requires no exposure to blood borne pathogens, body fluids, and other potentially infectious materials. 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/. Additional Information 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.