DutiesMajor Duties of this position are, but not limited to: - Answers technical questions for counselors and support staff in the VR&E Office.
- Manages broad-based and multi-faceted programs through a team of supervisors and team leaders. Typically, the VR&E division is comprised of professional, administrative, technical, and clerical staff members ranging in grades up to and including the GS-13.
- Directs and supervises the administration of work involving eligibility criteria, vocational exploration, conducting assessments of both the local labor market, plan development based on appropriate vocational goals, examination of medical information, making legally binding entitlement decisions, award adjustments, award authorization, and case management services;
- Maintains essential resources for referral for special rehabilitation procedures. Frequent collaboration and referrals are maintained with employers, school officials, medical and rehabilitation officials, contractors, state employment service personnel, and other community resources.
- Ensures staff responds timely to Congressional, White House and other special inquiries concerning VA benefits for Veterans and other claimants.
- Provides advice and recommendations to meet major goals and assists with the assessment of priorities. Makes decisions related to assigning and allocating program resources and directing and reviewing personnel within the assigned staff complement to accomplish the changing initiatives and emphasis established by Central Office program managers. Must be responsive to dynamic nature of Veteran and beneficiary populations and needs within the jurisdictional area. Assists with the development and implementation of plans to meet objectives; monitors progress toward the accomplishment of approved goals and takes steps to overcome any obstacles.
- Provides administrative expertise in all phases of rehabilitation activities, including counseling, case management, rehabilitation plan development, and job development and placement. Coordinates and integrates these operations and policies with other divisions, agencies, employers, and rehabilitation facilities. Plans, formulates, and implements operational procedures and policies to maintain efficient operating performance of professional and support staff.
- Assumes final responsibility for proper interpretation and uniform application of laws, regulations, and instructions in conformance with mandatory policies, procedures and practices, reconciling divergent opinions. The AVREO may review personally the most difficult and complex cases and elements such as fraud, high cost programs, independent living cases to include home adaptation, category one and two self-employment cases, re-entrance into a rehabilitation program cases, retroactive induction cases, and extension of entitlement cases.
- Approves cases involving Clear and Unmistakable Error (CUE), to include cases in which large sums of money may be involved. In addition, the AVREO oversees employees who do supplemental claim reviews and higher-level reviews, procure counseling services, and conduct informal hearings.
Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, hours to be determined. Compressed/Flexible: At the discretion of the hiring office. Telework: Available, per agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor ( Assistant Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Officer) /002760 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for reimbursement of relocation expenses with buyer value option (BVO) program in accordance with agency policy. Financial Disclosure Report: OGE 450 required. RequirementsConditions of Employment- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
- 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
- If you receive a conditional offer of employment, you will be required to complete the OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment
- All federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing
- You will be required to file a confidential financial disclosure report (OGE Form 450)
QualificationsTo qualify for the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (Assistant Veteran Readiness and Employment Officer) position, the applicant must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement, 10/25/2024. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. 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. You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade. General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes.If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS- 13 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS- 13. Individual Occupational Requirement: This position has an IOR that must be met in addition to the Time-in Grade and regular Specialized Experience qualifications. To qualify for this position, you must have the following basic requirements: 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.
AND Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows: - Supervised Internship: The education noted 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.
- Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.
Grandfathering Provision. VRCs employed in VBA on the July 28, 2023 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: - 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.
- VRCs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the July 28, 2023 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.
- 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.
You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of Specialized Experience which is equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. The applicant's specialized experience must document the following: Documented experience that has provided an advanced and detailed knowledge of Vocational Rehabilitation programs. Specifically, an in-depth knowledge of testing and evaluation, rehabilitation, job development and job placement, and demonstrated comprehensive experience in ALL of the following:- Conducting assessments of both the local labor market, and employability;
- Active involvement in the development of appropriate vocational goals and subsequent objectives outlined in rehabilitation plans;
- Providing case management services to customers while pursuing their rehabilitation plans (e.g., personal contact regarding achievement of vocational goals, referral for medical or ancillary services, and responding efficiently to rehabilitation concerns); and
- Written and oral communication skills in explaining the benefits and services available through the rehabilitation program.
Candidates must also have demonstrated in their work experience or training that they possess, or have the potential to develop, the qualities to successfully supervise subordinates/teams and to share responsibility for directing and supervising the administrative work necessary to manage a successful program operation. 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 mainly is sedentary. 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/. EducationA transcript must be submitted with your application to meet the individual occupational requirement.
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 informationUnder the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.
VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase productivity and prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework and will be discussed in the interview process.
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. 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. Credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/.
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.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
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.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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