Work in Washington Veterans Jobs

Summary The incumbent serves as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) within the Mental Health Service located at the VA Portland Healthcare System. The VRS will provide and coordinate a wide range of vocational rehabilitation and case management services to disabled veterans whose employability or work adjustment is impaired by a physical, mental, emotional or other disability or a lack of basic education and/or job skills. Responsibilities This position is located in Vancouver, Washington. This position is physically located at each VA Medical Center/Healthcare System (VAMC/HCS). The incumbent in this position serves as each VAMC's Community Employment Coordinator for Homeless Veterans. The employee is a central figure (liaison, advocate, technical advisor) responsible for the ongoing orientation and training of the Homeless Services continuum in order to connect Veterans to the most appropriate and least restrictive VA and/or community-based employment services. The incumbent works with the local Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Manager or designee in orchestrating clinical and administrative staff, within the Medical Center and without, into a cohesive platform with which homeless Veterans can obtain competitive employment with appropriate supports. The position has a direct impact on the local implementation of the National imperative to end Veteran homelessness, unemployment being a key barrier to permanent sustainable housing. Duties included but not limited to: Provide information, pre-employment assessment and workforce re-entry planning services, linkage, and coordination for VA and non-VA services, and community-based follow-up services to integrate Veterans into the community through competitive employment. The incumbent is expected to establish respectful, effective relationships with Veterans and with the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions and agencies, including community employers. Provide guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff across the VAMC on resources that enhance and result in competitive employment outcomes for Veterans, in particular those who are homeless or have other barriers to employment. Serve as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement and support services for homeless Veterans. Monitor performance and progress through review (at least quarterly) of cases referred to the members of the collaborative to insure that Veterans are receiving services leading to competitive employment and appropriate follow-up supports. Provide feedback to the homeless program staff and VAMC leadership on system resources, strengths, accomplishments, challenges and recommended corrective actions on a quarterly basis. Develop and maintain a database on referral and placement outcomes and provide feedback to the collaborative members as well as national homeless leadership. Serve as an advocate on behalf of Veterans with members of the employment collaborative and community employers, when appropriate, to ensure comprehensive service delivery resulting on competitive employment. The incumbent must be able to evaluate the employment needs of individual veterans and to provide individual and customized job development and placement. The incumbent must also coordinate the efforts of both VA and non-VA programs and agencies in order to provide an array of resources leading to competitive employment. There is also an expectation that the duties performed will result in improved employment rates which meet specific performance targets. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM (PST) Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Speclalist/PD21472-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement 03/03/2025. 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 within 30 days of 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. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the GS 1715 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below :Undergraduate and graduate education Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position (Transcript required). OR, 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. In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement requirements, applicants may qualify based on 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: Knowledge of the principles and theoretical concepts of vocational rehabilitation. Providing ongoing vocational counseling and support to individuals with severe and multiple disabilities. Providing vocational assessment and planning to develop individualized service plans for these individuals. Creating a network of training and employment resources for clients served. Utilizing a variety of fact-finding techniques to identify aspects of successful program operations. Develops professional relationships to assist participants in obtaining training and employment. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. Note: Transcripts required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond 2 years (36 semester hours) as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Note: Transcripts required. SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) - A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Maintain a valid state issued Driver's License and a safe driving record. .You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accessibility Communication Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Employee Development Interpersonal Skills 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 work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items, such as papers, books, or small parts. Driving a government automobile will be required during performing work. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Must be able to pass physical/driver certification. 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 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.