Clarification from the agency

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUCEMENT and establishes a standing register of eligible applicants to be considered for permanent full-time. First list of eligible applicants will be pulled for referral the Tuesday after the job announcement has been announced for 7 calendar days and then again every week until the closing date of 11/06/2023. First consideration will be given to current, permanent Aleda E. Lutz employees.

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This is an open continuous announcement until November 6, 2023. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.

Rehabilitation Counselors work with an interdisciplinary team to provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling services to Veterans with disabilities, including assessment, counseling and case management services, development of rehabilitation plans, and assistance in attaining and maintaining employment, independent living, and attaining personal goals.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Serves as a developmental Rehabilitation Counselor (RC) 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.
• Ensures fidelity to evidence-based and evidence-informed vocational and professional counseling practices. Evaluates Veteran's abilities and disabilities; monitors and records Veteran's progress to ensure goals and objectives are met.
• 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. Coordinate job search clubs for Veterans to improve in self-directed job search activities.
• Utilization of clinical counseling techniques to assist Veterans in developing soft skills (e.g. personal hygiene, cooperation with co-workers, and following instructions) when employed to enhance job satisfaction and foster natural supports in the workplace.
• Understands the basics of military culture to assist Veterans with returning to the community, including community-based work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 8:00am- 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Telework: Eligible, as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: Rehabilitation Counselor, FS #91920-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

Basic Requirements:
United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f).

Education:

• A master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a rehabilitation counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). If the applicant's degree was granted prior to July 1, 2017, the program must be accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education.

OR

• A master's degree in counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

OR

• A master's or doctoral degree in a related field of study with course content that emphasized rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by CHEA.

OR

• Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC).

Certification: Current, full and unrestricted certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) from the CRCC to practice vocational rehabilitation counseling.

• Exceptions for Graduate RCs:
  • RC graduates from an approved counseling or rehabilitation counseling program who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and the additional degree requirements for CRC certification by the CRCC, but do not possess the required certification, may be appointed, pending certification, as a graduate RC on a full-time temporary appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(D).
  • Graduate RCs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
  • Temporary graduate RC appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment

Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed as RCs within VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held including positive education and certification.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements you must meet the following requirements

GS-9:
Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate mustdemonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of human development and behavior, medical, psychosocial, andvocational aspects of disability and differential influences of environmental andcultural factors to assist persons with disabilities in determining suitablevocational goals.
• Knowledge of history, philosophy and disability rights legislation in the field ofrehabilitation to apply in the practice of rehabilitation counseling.
• Ability to synthesize assessment and diagnosis information in conjunction withlabor market trends and community/educational resources to develop aneffective individual service delivery plan.
• Knowledge of caseload management strategies to maximize an individual'sindependent functioning from assessment through provision of post-employmentservices.
• Ability to employ person-centered job development strategies to facilitatesuccessful job placement.
• Knowledge of assessment tools and methods, functional capacity evaluationsand specific vocational preparation to evaluate transferrable skills, residualcapacities and needs for accommodations and assistive technology.

GS-11:
Experience: Completion of one year of professional experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled.
OR
Education: A doctoral degree in rehabilitation counselor education or related field (e.g. rehabilitation psychology) from a CACREP accredited institution or from an institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by CHEA.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of physical and psychological disabilities, appropriateaccommodations and assistive technology principles to mitigate and reduce oreliminate barriers to integrate into the community.
• Knowledge of counseling theory, medical and psychiatric terminology and signsand symptomology of suicidal and homicidal ideations, to communicateappropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input toother team members and employers in relation to the Veteran and/or his/herfamily's psychosocial needs and to recommend and help implement suitabletreatment plans.
• Ability to use evidence-based and evidence informed vocational and professionalcounseling practices to include individual placement and support (IPS), customized employment and supported employment models and motivational interviewing skills to promote self-awareness, adjustment to disability, enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community.
• Knowledge of career development processes and job analysis methodology todetermine essential functions of jobs, worksite modifications and/or alternativevocational goals given the work history and residual functional capacities ofindividuals with disabilities.
• Ability to administer and interpret a wide variety of assessment methodsincluding transferrable skills and labor market analyses to evaluate for individualinterests, aptitudes and abilities and to identify suitable vocational goals for thedevelopment of an effective individual service delivery plan.
• Knowledge of marketing strategies to develop collaborativepartnerships/Memorandums of Agreement within VA and local businesscommunity to enhance employment and/or work opportunities.
• Knowledge of military culture and specific factors and dynamics associated withVeterans, particularly combat Veterans, to assist those who are returning tocommunity and community based-work.

References: VA Handbook 5005/113, Part II, Appendix G62.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 lbs.); light carrying (under 15 lbs.); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; walking (intermittent); standing (intermittent); hearing (aid permitted); clear speech. The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items like papers or books. Some work is provided in the local community. Must be able to access the community. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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, r?sum?, 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.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.