Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates {Current and former competitive service Federal employees, and people eligible under special hiring authorities. This includes all Merit Promotion sources: Status (Transfers, Reinstatements), VEOA, Permanent Canteen (VCS) employees, CTAP, ICTAP, Non-Competitive Eligible and certain Excepted Service Employees (i.e., Interchange Agreements).} Current employees of the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

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The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor provides a wide range of rehabilitation and personal adjustment counseling and case management services, including coordination of rehabilitation, training, and employment services to disabled veterans. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors assess data received from medical, psychological and vocational evaluations, and develop individualized rehabilitation plans.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Serves as a developmental Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor providing vocational and personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination services; provides developmental vocational rehabilitation services to Veterans with a wide array of psychiatric and physical disabilities and psychosocial conditions that present a myriad of barriers, to achieve competitive employment and educational and independent living goals.
• Serves as a consultant to an interdisciplinary treatment team or other clinical staff as it relates to the Veteran's vocational rehabilitation needs; communicates appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers concerning the Veteran.
• Evaluates Veteran's abilities and disabilities; monitors and records Veteran's progress to ensure goals and objectives are met. Ensures fidelity to evidence-based and evidence-informed vocational and professional counseling practices; conducts biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, and observation. Incorporates interviews into the assessment with the Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories.
• Synthesizes the information to develop case conceptualization and make clinical recommendations to facilitate treatment planning and provision; selects, administers, and interprets psychometric assessments and vocational instruments to evaluate abilities, transferrable skills, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, and overall work resilience.
• Customizes vocational exploration activities, including informational interviews and labor market research, to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals; determines clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services.
• Develops patient-centered treatment plans, using Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based (SMART) goals, and provides regular, ongoing assessment of Veteran's progress. Provides job development, job placement, job coaching, job accommodation, adaptation, retention, and education services to both Veterans with disabilities and for those employers who employ these Veterans.
• Conducts a job analysis to identify essential functions and develop reasonable accommodations; promote employment programs to community employers to establish relationships that will result in providing work opportunities for Veterans with significant behavioral, physical, emotional and/or cognitive impairments; facilitate job placement for Veterans by teaching valuable job search skills, resume/application development, interview skills and basic computer skills.

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 a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs are requirements for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Must possess a valid, state driver?s license or commercial driver?s license (CDL), as applicable, if required to operate a motor vehicle or commercial vehicle.
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENT: Satisfactory completion in an accredited college or university of all the requirements for a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, including an internship; or a master's degree in counseling psychology or a related field, including at least 30 semester hours of course work in such areas as foundations of rehabilitation counseling, human growth and development, counseling theories and techniques, vocational assessment, career development, job placement, case management, and medical/psycho-social aspects of disability. Total graduate study must have included or been supplemented by a supervised internship. For master's degree programs without a supervised internship/practicum, substitution is allowed for successful professional experience following completion of the master's degree. Experience suitable for substitution must be one full year in direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.

Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, do you have one (1) full year in direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other than those in correctional facilities. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs. NONQUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying ~OR~
Education: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, have you successfully completed three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or do you have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology. (Transcript required)

This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration.

The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: "Requires a current, valid, state Driver's License or Commercial Driver's License (CDL)." Incidental operators are employees, other than those occupying a position officially classified as a motor vehicle operator, who are required to operate a Government-owned or -leased motor vehicle to properly carry out their assigned duties. To qualify as an incidental operator, an employee must possess a valid State license, have a safe driving record, pass a road test, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Possess a current, full and unrestricted certification as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) from the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) to provided vocational rehabilitation 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.

This position may at times require the individual to transport the veteran into the community to explore job opportunities, utilize community resources and meet employers.

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; or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. VRS will be required to drive a government automobile during 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/.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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

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.