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Summary This Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position is located at the Fort Harrison, MT Regional Office, Veteran Readiness & Education (VR&E). The incumbent provides and coordinates a wide range of rehabilitation, counseling, and case management services to disabled veterans and other eligible individuals. The primary emphasis of the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Program is to assist Veterans with service connected disabilities prepare for, find, and sustain employment. Responsibilities Perform initial rehabilitation evaluations, entitlement assessments, rehabilitation planning, problem-solving, and adjustment counseling. Provide case management, including the coordination of all rehabilitation services, case documentation, and employment services. and, as necessary, the administration and interpretation of vocation testing. Provide services for employer consultation, employment development and placement, career counseling, and vocational planning and assessment. Combine data from diagnostic tests and medical records to give a comprehensive picture of strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and interests to help patients find a suitable employment or independent living objective. Partner with Vet Centers, career centers, local Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program, Specialists, Local Veterans' Employment Representatives, VA employment programs, and others to provide job search and placement services. Provide information and assistance with the VR and E program through individual and group therapy sessions. Conduct counseling using a variety of approaches, including tele- counseling, depending on the needs of the Veteran. Partner with administrators at schools, Vet Centers, military bases, and federal, state, and local agencies to determine the individual needs of service members and veterans and to provide the essential assistance. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/20/2024. Effective July 28,2023, VA Handbook 5005 was updated to change the VBA qualification standard for Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) in the GS-0101 series. All applicants must meet the Basic Requirement described below, to qualify. Note: Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Basic Requirement and Specialized Experience requirements as stated below. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To qualify for the VRC position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements: a. Education. Successful completion of a master's degree (or higher) in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work from an accredited college or university (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS). b. Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows: (1) Supervised Internship: The education described above must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling or case management specialization. The internship must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs. OR (2) Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. c. Grandfathering Provisions. VRCs employed in VBA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certifications that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: (1) VRCs who are grandfathered into the GS-0101 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level of a career ladder or changed to a lower grade within the occupation or placed in a supervisory or managerial position. (2) VRCs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not be extended or reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard. (3) If VRCs who are grandfathered under this provision leave the occupation, they lose protected status and must meet the full qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re- entry to the occupation. Specialized Experience: To qualify at the GS-09 grade level: There are none above the basic requirements listed above. To qualify at the GS-11 grade level: In addition to the basic requirement, applicants must have completed at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of professional vocational rehabilitation experience equivalent to the next lower grade level of GS-09, which meets the specialized experience required for the position within the Federal service or other service. 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 within the organization to filled. Specialized experience for this position includes: Experience that reflects the management of vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management workload involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). OR In addition to meeting the basic educational requirements, applicants may substitute experience with successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a Ph.D. (or equivalent doctoral degree) in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology, as described above. To qualify at the GS-12 grade level: In addition to the basic requirement, applicants must have completed at least 1 full year (52 weeks) of professional vocational rehabilitation experience equivalent to the next lower grade level of GS-11, which meets the specialized experience required for the position within the Federal service or other service. 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 within the organization to filled. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Professional experience reflects the management of vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management workload involving persons with a wide variety of disability conditions (e.g., mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse). NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the master's degree is not qualifying. Note: You will be rated on work experience and knowledge obtained in the last 5 years as it pertains to vocational rehabilitation counseling, case management techniques, diagnostic assessment processes used in vocational/educational/rehabilitation, personal adjustment counseling and effect of disabilities on employability. There is no substitution of work experience for the basic educational requirement or the GS-12 level. Note: 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 you document, to include volunteer experience. Education The primary degree required under this single-agency standard is Rehabilitation Counseling. For related degree programs other than Rehabilitation Counseling the focus of the master's degree program must have been on rehabilitation counseling as evidenced by the coursework required for the degree. Awarded/Conferred Master's Degree is required and must be reflected on transcripts submitted at the time of application. Transcripts (unofficial and/or official) must show evidence of a supervised internship and must also show that the degree has been awarded/conferred and the date awarded. An unofficial or official copy of your transcripts 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: 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://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html Additional Information This is not a Virtual/ Remote position. Work Schedule: Regular office hours, Monday -Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Alternate work schedules may be available. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meetings or customer interactions. 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. The full performance level of this position is grade GS-12. VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process. Telework is subject to approval by individual supervisors and managers, is considered a privilege not a right, is subject to approval based on performance and other varying factors, and is not guaranteed. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.