Clarification from the agency

First consideration will be given to current West Palm Beach VA Medical Center employees. Second consideration will be extended to current employees of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) nationwide. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Enable Veterans to understand visual diagnoses, navigate sight loss, and assess mental health status, including screening for depression and suicide risk.
• Evaluate visual-motor and visual-perceptual capabilities, physical health, cognitive functions, and social/cultural elements to accurately identify rehabilitation needs and goals.
• Partner with Veterans and interdisciplinary team members to establish, track, and modify individualized rehabilitation treatment plans using SMART goals.
• Train patients in adaptive techniques, assistive technology, optical devices, and visual-perceptual enhancement to maximize independence in everyday life.
• Serve as a team coordinator, establish peer support networks, collaborate with external agencies and the VIST Coordinator, and coordinate care across multidisciplinary platforms.
• Maintain accurate, concise clinical documentation, progress notes, discharge summaries, and administrative prosthetic consults in compliance with VHA and regulatory standards.
• Educate family members and significant others on coping mechanisms, and act as a subject matter expert and mentor to healthcare professionals and clinical trainees.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 40696F & 40316F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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 will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English.

Education - The individual must have earned:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major field of study in blind or vision rehabilitation, closely related program in rehabilitation, special education for the visually impaired, family and consumer science education, or technology and industrial arts education. -OR-
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (without a major field of study as outlined in (1)(a) above) that included, or was supplemented by, at least one of the following:
  • At least 30 semester hours of directly related, upper level undergraduate courses (e.g., at least 200-course level or higher, or as identified by the college or university).
  • One full year of directly related graduate level coursework (typically at least 15 - 18 semester hours).
  • A certificate from an accredited college or university in the core curriculum in orientation and mobility, vision rehabilitation therapy, assistive technology for blind and visually impaired individuals, or low vision therapy and a directly related practicum/internship in the occupation, either included in the degree or post-degree.
  • Foreign Graduates must have proof of a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university (or foreign equivalent, as verified through an independent credential evaluation company), with a specialization in blind rehabilitation.

Certification - Required at the GS-11 grade level and above -

• Applicants at the GS-11 level and above must possess at least one active, current, full and unrestricted certification to be eligible for appointment. Certification must be granted by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP), or another equivalent, closely related professional credential in special education or rehabilitation.

NOTE: The ACVREP administers four certification programs: Low Vision Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, Assistive Technology Instruction and Vision Rehabilitation Therapy. They may then use the designation for the certification they hold.

• BRS who provide the following service must obtain certification granted by ACVREP as follows:
  • Orientation and mobility training - Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS®).
  • Communication and daily living therapy - Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (CVRT®).
  • Low vision therapy - Certified Low Vision Therapists (CLVT®).
  • Assistive Technology - Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialists (CATIS®).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations
Blind Rehabilitation Specialist (BRS), GS-9 (Entry Level)
Experience - Bachelor's degree and completion of one year of experience.-OR-
Education - Completion of at least two full years of progressive graduate education or a master's degree in a field directly related to the position.

Certification - No certification is required at this level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - In addition to the education and experience above the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of policies and procedures of the blind/vision rehabilitation service.
• Knowledge of administration and interpretation of assessments and evaluations in blind/vision rehabilitation.
• Ability to develop a basic written blind/vision rehabilitation plan from assessment results and develop more complex plans with consultation from supervisor.
• Skill in instructing [Veterans] and families in a meaningful rehabilitation program and applying blind/vision rehabilitation therapeutic techniques.
• Ability to recommend appropriate blind/vision prosthetic devices for Veterans within the scope of practice.
• Ability to serve as team coordinator for assigned Veterans during their rehabilitation programs.

Blind Rehabilitation Specialist (BRS), GS-11 (Full Performance Level)
Experience - In addition to meeting the basic requirements, completion of one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade.
-OR-
Education - Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Doctoral Degree; or Doctoral Degree in Blind Rehabilitation or a directly related field.

***CANDADATE MUST POSSESS ONE UNRESTRUCTED ACVREP CERTIFICATE ( O&M, CVRT, CLVT, OR CATIS) AT THE GS-11 LEVEL.***

Certification - Certification is required at this grade level and above. BRSs at the GS-11 grade level must have at least one certification from ACVREP or a related, equivalent, professional certification.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - In addition to meeting the KSAs described at the GS-9 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:

• Knowledge and understanding of highly specialized complex evaluations and diagnostic tests and procedures of blind/vision rehabilitation.
• Ability to properly assess Veterans having diverse and multiple disabilities to make recommendations for blind/vision rehabilitation therapeutic interventions.
• Skill in writing a blind/vision rehabilitation plan that includes evaluation information from multiple disciplines with observable, measurable goals and that identifies specific outcomes.
• Skill in instructional methods and learning principles.
• Ability to employ interventions and unusual motivational techniques and coordinate treatment with other professionals to achieve outcomes of the rehabilitation plan.
• Ability to recommend appropriate blind/vision rehabilitation prosthetic devices for Veterans within scope of practice, making adaptations and modifications as required.

Assignment - This is the full performance level for BRSs who are not VIST Coordinators. Assignments at this grade level include the following:

• Staff BRS. In addition to providing services to Veterans described at the GS-9 grade level, individuals at this level have duties that typically include the following: serving as a consultant to blind/low vision rehabilitation and other medical center staff in evaluating and treating Veterans in the specialty area; serving as a mentor to other therapists who are evaluating and treating Veterans in the content specialty or program area; serving as internship supervisor to students who are completing their supervised practice; and providing in-service and clinical training programs in the content specialty or program area.
• BRS (Sole Practice). Individuals in this assignment may serve as the only BRS at a medical center or an outpatient clinic and are responsible for independent decision- making and independent care. Individuals in this assignment serve as a member of or as consultant to a specialty care team, [and provide in-service and clinical training programs in the content specialty or program area.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS09 to GS11.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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, resume, 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.