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Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) position is located in the Community Engagement and Reintegration Service (CERS), within the Veteran Community Employee Development (VCED) department, of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare system (VAGLAHS). The incumbent is assigned vocational rehabilitation duties throughout the hospital, its clinics, and within the community. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist falls under the
auspices of the Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) programs.

Overview

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Accepting applications
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$87,061 - $113,185 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSX-13061957-26-RR
Control number
884447400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to: Agency Employees, current, permanent Federal employees, Disabled Veterans, Reinstatement, Schedule A, VEOA, Military Spouses, Career Transition and Special Authorities. First consideration will be given to: Current, Permanent employees of the Greater Los Angeles VA Health Care System, Second consideration will be given to: Other Current, Permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs; Third consideration will be given to: Other Status Applicants.

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Duties

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Duties may include but are not limited to:

  • Determines the vocational goals and objectives of the Veteran based on referral from a professional staff member or by interviewing the Veteran.
  • Determines the areas of vocational interests, and decides what services such as job seeking skills training, resume development, or interview skills training the Veteran may require in order to successfully obtain suitable employment.
  • Counsels and guides Veterans through difficult transition in the adjustment to employment.
  • Coordinates with various resources to locate a training facility in the community that will be specifically suitable from the standpoint of the particular needs and problems of the individual.
  • Helps the employer to understand the nature of the Veteran's limitations while maintaining a positive impression of the Veteran's capability to succeed.
  • Networks with community employers, community agencies, and community businesses with the goal of developing professional relationships with these groups in order to assist program participants in obtaining and maintaining suitable community employment.
  • May be assigned other administrative duties as needed to advance the Compensated Work Therapy programs, such as preparation for Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation
    Facilities (CARF) surveys.

Work Schedule: Various tours of duty based on the needs of the service.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD11160A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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
  • 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.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2026.

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 by 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.


You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements

Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position.

  • 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 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.
  • OR,
  • Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or
    LL.M., if related. OR,
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Education and Training
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork
  • Technical Competence
  • Therapy and 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.

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 physical demands of this position are moderate. Although some of the physical work is sedentary, there will be significant (50 - 70% of the time) local travel for support purposes. The stress related to providing services to Veterans in emotional distress or who may be demanding and uncooperative, can be more significant than that of most sedentary positions.

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.

Veterans Health Administration

At the National Center for Warrior Independence, we are deeply committed to ending veteran homelessness and empowering Veterans to achieve sustainable, long-term independence.
Position Overview & Core Expectations
- Mission-Driven Commitment: Candidates must demonstrate a steadfast dedication to ending Veterans homelessness and walking alongside veterans on their journey to self-sufficiency.
- Safety and Security: All staff share an unwavering commitment to maintaining a secure, respectful environment, ensuring the physical safety and security of every Veteran and employee working across the north campus.
- Stakeholder & Partnership Collaboration: Staff actively cultivate and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, building collaborative partnerships to expand resources, streamline wraparound services, and enhance outcomes for Veterans.
- Clinical Assessment & Care: Staff are responsible for regularly assessing the evolving clinical needs of Veterans and delivering or coordinating appropriate, high-quality care tailored to each individual.
- Flexible Scheduling: To best meet the dynamic needs of the Veteran population we serve, many of our positions require flexible scheduling, which may include compressed tours, evening shifts, or weekend availability.

Agency contact information

Ross Rucks
Phone
562-540-4595
Email
Ross.Rucks@va.gov
Address
Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
11301 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90073
US

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