Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

This position is located in Mental Health Service Line, at Bedford VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA. The primary purpose of this position is to provide highly individualized and complex rehabilitation, support and services to Veterans seeking to improve their vocational functioning.

Qualifications

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-9: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Vocational Development Specialist and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: 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. ADDITIONAL SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIRED AT THE GS-9 LEVEL INCLUDES: assisting with individualized assessments to determine level of support necessary for patients; assisting with the development of employment opportunities through community-based job development; locating, evaluating, and recommending approval of training facilities for vocational rehabilitation participants. NOTE: THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE. ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-9: You must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position or an LL.B. or J.D., if related to the position. Education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-9: You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-11 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-11: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: 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. ADDITIONAL SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIRED AT THE GS-11 LEVEL INCLUDES: creating individualized assessments to determine level of support necessary for patients; developing employment opportunities through community-based job development; monitoring performance and progress through case reviews; maintaining a database of referral and placement outcomes used to identify aspects of successful program operations and recommended improvements. NOTE: THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE. ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-11: You must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Education must have been obtained from an accredited college or university. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-11: You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) 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/.