Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (Twe)

This announcement is for a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) for the Behavioral Medicine Service Line of the Marion VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Marion, IL. The primary duty of the VRS is to oversee Transitional Work Experience (TWE) services to veterans on a case-by-case basis through Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program.Qualifications:To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/01/2024.
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.
Qualification Requirement for GS-11 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience: At least one of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: serving as the Central Figure (technical advisor) responsible for ongoing orientation and training of the Transitional Work Experience services through Compensated Work Therapy Programs, experience providing employment skills and employment placement services for adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; experience identifying, supporting, and contracting with employers in the community who are willing to hire adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; experience assisting vocationally challenged individuals with resume development and interview skills; developing professional relationships with community partners.
  serving as the Central Figure (technical advisor) responsible for ongoing orientation and training of the Transitional Work Experience services through Compensated Work Therapy Programs, experience providing employment skills and employment placement services for adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; experience identifying, supporting, and contracting with employers in the community who are willing to hire adults who have serious and persistent mental health diagnoses; experience assisting vocationally challenged individuals with resume development and interview skills; developing professional relationships with community partners.
  OR
• Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctor degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M, if related; OR
• Combination of Experience and Education: Equivalent combination of successfully completed higher level graduate education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for the grade level.

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

• Communication
• Computer Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• 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 work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. The ability to travel in the community is required.
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/.Employment Type: FULL_TIME