Skip to main content
U.S. flag

Peer Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VA Martinsburg Healthcare System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Peer Specialists perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting their peers in articulating their goals for recovery, learning and practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, assisting them in their treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self­ help strategies based on the specialist's own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/24/2022 to 09/02/2022
Salary
$45,574 to - $80,532 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6 - 9
Location
Martinsburg, WV
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Monday-Friday 8;00am-4:30pm
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBFF-11601290-22-AD
Control number
671060800

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

This position is restricted to VETERANS only - See noted referenced -Public Law 110-387, Section 405 modifies 38 USC 7402: Open to all qualified U. S. Citizens that are Veterans.

Videos

Duties

Help

The incumbent serves as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for any effective recovery based services that will aid the veteran in daily living. The incumbent orients veterans new to the programs in which they work about the services, hours, locations, staff and other pertinent information necessary for the veteran to understand the program and how to utilize it. The incumbent may work with·veterans to develop and implement a personal recovery plan. This peer-centered recovery plan is instrumental for individuals to "buy into" the process of their recovery. Central to such plans are the overall health and well-being of each individual, not just their mental health. Components often include support groups and individual therapy, basic health care maintenance, stable housing, improvements in family life and personal relationships as well as community connections. The plan may also include education goals, vocational development and job seeking. Some plans outline a time table for coach monitoring, and/or a plan for re-engagement when needed to balance the health and overall quality of life for each individual.
Duties include, but not limited to the following:

  • Assist veterans in determining the steps he/she needs to take in order to achieve these goals and self-directed recovery.
  • Utilize recovery tools such as the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to assist veterans in creating their own individual wellness and recovery plans.
  • Contributes to the development of an effective discharge plan.
  • Assists with the execution of the recovery plan and monitors progress, making timely reports of progress and new problems to the treatment team.
  • Observes behaviors that might indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment (e.g., missed assessment appointments, failure to attend or maintain abstinence, risk to self or others, disruptive behavior), completes appropriate documentation, and reports concerns to the treatment or recovery team in a timely manner.
  • Use ongoing individual and group sessions to teach veterans how to identify and combat negative self-talk and how to identify and overcome fears by providing a forum which allows group members to share their experiences.
  • As much as possible, the incumbent will share their own recovery story and as the facilitator of these sessions, which will demonstrate how they have directed their own recovery to veterans.
  • Assist in obtaining services that suit the individual's recovery needs.
  • Inform veterans about community and mutual supports and how to use these in the recovery process.
  • Community resources may include but are not limited to consumer­ self-help and mutual support services, social security office, Department of Family and Children services, local YMCA, library, restaurants, veterans' service organizations, apartment complexes and other types of housing, etc.
  • Handle crisis interventions for any program patient or address other emergency situations without benefit of specific instructions. Such extraordinary interventions will be carefully documented and communicated to the team in a timely manner.
  • Provides training to other staff and/or students in the use of information systems patient management techniques, crisis. intervention counseling, discharge--planning, liaison with community resources, and the provision of peer support services or other Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery services within the program as requested by the supervisor.
  • Maintain a working knowledge of current trends and developments in the mental health field by reading books, journals, and other relevant materials.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized for this position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Not authorized for this position.
Position Description/PD#: Peer Specialist/PD00066A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized for this position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized for this position.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Physical Requirements: Must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others. Operation of a motor vehicle is required.

Requirements

Help

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 background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/02/2022.

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 this position you must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade level. 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.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PEER SPECIALISTS

a. Statutory Requirements. Section 405 of Public Law 110-387, as codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13), established that to be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must:
(1) be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition; and
(2) be certified by -
(a) a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for a peer specialist position; or(b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position.

b. Length of Experience as a Consumer of Mental Health Recovery Services. Veterans eligible under 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13) must have spent a minimum of 1 year in personal recovery from a mental health condition.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Veteran is defined as a person who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

Restricted to VETERANS - See IMPORTANT NOTICE. Open to current, permanent employees of the VA (i.e. T38, T38 Hybrid, and VCS employees on excepted appts covered by an interchange agreement); Federal employees on a Career/Career-Conditional appt.; Former competitive civil service employees eligible for reinstatement; Veterans eligible under VEOA, VRA, and 30% DAV; Those eligible under the Employment Program for People with Disabilities; and those eligible for CTAP/ICTAP.

NOTE: You MUST provide copies of your DD-214 and Peer Specialist Certification, with your application package.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

  • GS-06: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-05), which is progressively responsible, identifying needs and providing individualized assistance and appropriate service to Veterans on less complicated cases without prior approval. The supervisor is kept informed of the progress of the work and is available for consultation. Completed work is evaluated for adequacy of methods, results, ability to solve new and changing problems, effectiveness in relations with others, and the ability to coordinate activities with other departments. Supervision is primarily received through the review of reports and discussions of progress on assigned cases.
  • GS-07: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-06), which is progressively responsible, performing the full range of services involved in establishing eligibility for assistance; making initial and continuing eligibility determinations in all types of cases and authorizing grants to those who are eligible; developing pertinent information through interviews, correspondence, and home visits to support authorization of assistance to eligible individuals or to terminate applications of persons who are ineligible; and is responsible on a continuing basis for conducting regularly scheduled reviews of cases to update information on changes in the recipient's circumstances which affect his needs.
  • GS-08: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-07), which is progressively responsible, taking the initiative in developing and implementing an appropriate plan of assistance and service and keeping the supervisor informed of any unusual problems that arise while working with a wide range of cases that involve a variety of individualized problems of a less serious nature. Supervision is usually limited to discussing progress of more serious cases in regularly scheduled conferences and a sampling review of case records and reports.
  • GS-09: One year of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-08), which is progressively responsible, taking the initiative in providing assistance and service and keeping the supervisor informed of the progress of cases assigned; planning programs of assistance and service for individuals and families incumbent works with, make continuing appraisals of progress of plans, give sustained effective help and encouragement, and evaluate changes in the family's or individual's situation that may affect assistance planning. Consults with his supervisor on unusual questions when incumbent wants conclusions reexamined or feels that adequate precedents for a proposed action have not been definitely established. Supervision is received mainly through review of reports and through periodic discussions of progress of assigned cases. OR
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education, graduate education or a post-bachelor's degree internship meets the specialized experienced required for GS-6/9 ONLY in those instance where it is directly related to the work of the position. You must have:
GS-06: Six (6) months of graduate education or a 1-year post-bachelor's degree internship meets the requirements for GS-06.
GS-07: One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-07.
GS-08: One and one/half years of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-08.
GS-09: Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-09.

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.

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

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Customer Service
  • Teaches Others
  • Problem Solving
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

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

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.

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.

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.