Clarification from the agency

This Job Announcement is only open to Current, Permanent employees of John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and other VA employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Administrative duties

• Addresses the complexities of psychosocial rehabilitation factors and timely and high-quality outcomes consistent with statutes, regulations, and policies. Resolves issues associated with specific projects involving best practices and provides leadership and direction on project implementation.
• Coordinates workforce development (vocational, education, and placement of Veterans) services and/or customer service to successfully operate a rehabilitation program. Uses sound judgment and decision-making while initiating and leading interdisciplinary groups of staff to improve customer service while delivering Veteran-focused and outcome-oriented care.
• Provides input and guidance on program evaluations, strategic plans, and policy considerations to the supervisor as appropriate for all interested VA entities and accrediting bodies.
• Monitors progress towards accomplishment of program goals and examines the benefits of process improvements. Provides consultation, coordination, oversight, support, and feedback to staff of their designated program area and student interns on work assignments, time and caseload management, and employment outcomes. Uses effective counseling skills to promote self-awareness, adjustment to disability, enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community and independent living.
• Maintains an awareness and state-of-the-art knowledge of applicable accreditation bodies and standards to ensure long-term compliance. Prepares data and maintains records of work accomplishments and administration information, as required, and coordinates the preparation, presentation, and communication of work-related information to the supervisor.
• Coordinates the placement of Veterans, ensures CWT TW payroll and bills of collection are timely, monitors CWT Account balances and deposits, and ensures all expenditures utilize approved budgeting procedures, including internal controls and separation of duties. Markets and develops therapeutic work opportunities, provides customer service, and annual TW worksite supervisor training to successfully operate a rehabilitation employment program. Prepares Memorandums of Agreement for the VHA Voc Rehab Supervisor's approval and signature along with other necessary financial documentation to facilitate TW placement sites.
• Coordinates vocational rehabilitation services related to job coaching, job accommodation, and adaptation services to both veterans with significant vocational support needs and to those employers who employ these veterans. Evaluates consults to identify the most appropriate provider and ensures timely access to services for Veterans. Facilitates team meetings for the IPS providers identifying evidence based and evidence informed strategies and sharing job leads.

Clinical Duties:

• Provide a variety of rehabilitation services using counseling practices and evidence based and informed modalities to aid Veterans with severe disabilities in achieving competitive employment, educational, and independent living goals. These rehabilitation services involve personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions and case coordination services, and professional counseling practices.
• Provides clinical expertise through the timely application of therapeutic interventions, case coordination, crisis intervention, interdisciplinary team consultation, rehabilitation plan development, and ongoing assessment and job development practices.
• Supports informed decision making while using professional judgment and counseling skills to assist the Veteran in identifying suitable competitive employment and placement opportunities. Conducts a skillful analysis of their abilities, aptitudes, strengths, needs, preferences, disability conditions, and resulting impairments to guide Veterans with severe disabilities and employment challenges in achieving their goals.
• Provide psychoeducational and/or psychotherapeutic groups to facilitate effective job search skills, employer-desired soft skills, work and life skills fostering independence and recovery.
• Consult with interdisciplinary teams to enhance coordination of care, ensure medical clearance, and provide for optimal timing of further interventions. Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment and their vocational implications. Completes various quality assurance and improvement activities to improve services provided.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 08:00am-04:30pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for some ad-hoc (short term or episodic) telework only per Agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:94496A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not 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 evaluation.
• 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.
• 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 CHEAOR Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). 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 (GS 9) 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.

Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, RCs must actively pursue meeting prerequisites for certification starting from the date of their appointment. This includes working towards completion of CRCC's required acceptable employment experience and completing required CRCC documentation to verify employment experience and supervision by a CRC. At the time of appointment, the RC supervisor will provide the RC with the written requirements for certification, including the time by which the certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to become certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0101 RC series and may result in termination of employment.

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: Rehabilitation Counselor (Coordinator), GS-12

Experience. Completion of one year of professional experience at the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled. Experience includes but is not limited to: Provide personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions and case coordination services, utilizing evidence-informed and evidence-based modalities to aid Veterans with severe disabilities in achieving competitive employment and educational and independent living goals. Conduct biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, observation and interviews with Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories. Select, administer and interpret vocational instruments to evaluate abilities, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, transferrable skills and overall work resilience. Customize vocational exploration activities for identification of self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals. Consult with interdisciplinary teams (IDT) to enhance coordination of care, ensure medical clearance, and provide for optimal timing of further interventions and Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment and their vocational implications.

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

• Ability to address complexity of psychosocial rehabilitation factors and deliver timely and high-quality outcomes consistent with statutes, regulations and policies.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of a range of rehabilitation service delivery systems for the administration and management of a clinical rehabilitation program.
• Ability to initiate and lead interdisciplinary groups of staff utilizing sound judgement and decision-making to improve customer service while delivering Veteran-focused and outcome-oriented health care.
• Knowledge of applicable accreditation bodies and standards to ensure long-term compliance.
• Knowledge of business administration practices such as managing participant payroll, accounting, billing, marketing, workforce development (vocational, educational and placement of Veterans) services and/or customer service to successfully operate a rehabilitation employment program.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Assists with the management of a clinical rehabilitation service delivery system within an organization which may include housing, independent living, vocational and educational services. Utilize complex rehabilitation counseling skills and motivational interviewing techniques not typically required in routine practice to assess a Veteran's self-awareness, adjustment to disability and work resilience. Exhibit clinical expertise through timely application of therapeutic interventions, case coordination, crisis intervention, IDT consultation, rehabilitation plan development and ongoing assessment and job development practices. Exercise professional judgement to arrange for suitable placement of Veterans with the most severe disabilities and employment challenges through skillful analysis of their abilities, aptitudes, preferences, disability conditions and resulting impairments. Ensure timely and accurate Veteran Compensated Work Therapy-Transitional Work (CWT-TW) payrolls, bills of collection, CWT Account balances, deposits to CWT Account and ensure all expenditures utilize approved budgeting procedures, including internal controls and separation of duties. Provide input and guidance on program evaluations, strategic plans and policy considerations to supervisor as appropriate for all interested VA entities and accrediting bodies.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary; however, incumbent should be able to perform prolonged walking and standing necessary to conduct worksite visits, employer tours, etc. Incumbent must possess a valid driver's license in order to transport Veterans in government vehicle to interviews, tours, etc. with employers or other community resources.

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.