Hybrid Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist bei Department of Veterans Affairs

Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Huntsville, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama, Little Rock, Arkansas, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, Orlando, Florida, Saint Petersburg, Florida, Sunrise, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia, Fort Knox, Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky, New Orleans, Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, Asheville, North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, Fayetteville, North Carolina, Jacksonville, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Charleston, South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, Clarksville, Tennessee, Fort Campbell, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, Hampton, Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, Roanoke, Virginia, Huntington, West Virginia

Salary Range: $61111 - $101641 Per Year

Job Summary: The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) position is within the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Program. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) carries out all duties related to assisting Veterans and Service members with completing their program of rehabilitation services.

Major Duties:

• Major Duties of this position are, but not limited to: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) is responsible for the provision, supervision and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or Servicemembers participating in the various programs described in Chapters 36 and 31, and for selected participants under Chapters 18 and 35, of Title 38 U.S.C. Authorizes all necessary services and benefits, and receives, reviews and authorizes all charges for services before submitting invoices to Finance Division for payment. Provides case management services including coordination of all rehabilitation services, employment services, documentation of progress and adjustment, and maintenance of case records according to VA regulations. Act as Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) to acquire evaluation, case management, employment, and other services needed in the rehabilitation process. Provides training and supervision to contract service providers to ensure that the services rendered are appropriate and in accordance with accepted professional standards. Case management services will include assistance applying for VA benefits and resolving individual VA benefits issues; referrals for medical and mental health services; transition support; and development of community and on-campus resources to provide comprehensive services to Veteran Students. Provides coordination of all rehabilitation services, such as financial decisions, adjusts rehabilitation plans, and coordinates employment services. Makes minor adjustments to rehabilitation plans, if necessary for the Veteran to meet the goals of the original plan. Research resources and funding available in the community for consumers. Provides comprehensive employment and post-employment services which include assessing employability and assisting in the development of an employment assistance plan. Responsible for the provision, supervision and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or Service members participating in the various programs. Perform all other duties assigned.

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:10/20/2025. 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. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. These requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement. If you are a current VBA employee seeking reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-09 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-11. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist series requires that all applicants meet both the Basic Requirement per the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) AND the Specialized Experience 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. **NOTE: ALL EDUCATION MUST BE A BACHELORS DEGREE OR HIGHER AND ALL TRANSCRIPTS MUST HAVE A CONFERRED DATE** OR Experience Specialized Experience: Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Work that required obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities, knowledge of the interrelationships of the involved professional and specialist services, and skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals served by the program. Experience that demonstrated 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. Experience in vocational guidance or teaching in a recognized vocational rehabilitation program or school, developmental or supervisory work in programs of vocational rehabilitation or training programs for the disadvantaged, or personnel or employment placement work that provided extensive knowledge of the training and adjustment requirements necessary to place persons having disabilities or social adjustment problems. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in rehabilitation services, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness or human development theory and principles; or experience in career development programs and career development theory. OR Education Substitution: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree: Major study - vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education. GS-11 Grade Level: 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. Specialized experience is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in rehabilitation services, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness or human development theory and principles; Rehabilitation counseling skills, techniques and resources needed to address complex issues associated with multiple disabilities, homebound veterans, veterans with acute or chronic mental disabilities and those with problems adjusting to social and occupational requirements. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree: Major study - vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, 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 must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 2 full years of graduate level education. Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g. have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information. 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 normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, etc. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12769038 and submit the documentation specified in the job announcement. Documents will not be accepted after the closing date of the announcement. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 10/20/2025 to receive consideration. 1. To begin, click apply online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. 2. Click submit my answers to submit your application package. Note: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select the application status link and then select the more information link for this position. The details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click update application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Application Deadline: 2025-10-20