Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (Quality Review Specialist) - USA Jobs

Newington, CT

About the Job

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Conduct Individual Quality Reviews (IQR) and evaluations of direct counseling, casework, accounting, and eligibility decisions processed by the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors to assess performance, and ensure compliance with all applicable statutes, regulations, directives, and procedures.
Analyze, evaluate, and identify deficiencies of elements of a case including application, entitlement, evaluation, planning, case management, fiscal activity, and case closure.
Conduct Higher Level Reviews (HLRs), in accordance with the Appeals Management Act (AMA), as well as analyze and track the HLR findings for remediation activities.
Provide explanation of errors to the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors to include recommendations for corrections when warranted.
Conduct statistical analysis of quality review data to identify trends and significant problems for the purpose of making improvements.
Communicates quality trend data to VR&E management and staff, to identify needs for training, use in operations, decision making a planning as well.
Develop reports and discuss report findings with local leadership to address corrective actions, trends in case review and disagreement s in findings.
Collaborate with VR&E's Service Systematic Technical Accuracy Review (STAR) Team to ensure consistent policy application to all quality reviews.
Provide training to VR&E staff and management regrading finds of case reviews, best practices in service delivery and opportunities to improve quality of service.
Serve as an advisor and consultant to VR&E Services and Regional Office management on precedent determinations involving individual decision cases and/or on technical and operational matters related to program deficiencies, best practices, or improvement recommendations.

Promotion Potential: This position is at full performance level.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm.
Compressed/Flexible: Available.
Position Description: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (Quality Review Specialist) | PD# 41867A.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Required, OGE-450.
Telework: Authorized, as determined by agency policy.
Virtual: Yes, this is a virtual position. The selectee will report to the Cleveland Regional Benefits Office and must reside within 50 miles of a VA Regional Benefits Office in the Northeast District (Baltimore, MD | Boston, MA | Buffalo, NY | Chicago, IL | Cleveland, OH | Detroit, MI | Newington, CT | Indianapolis, IN | Manchester, NH | Milwaukee, WI | New York, NY | Newark, NJ | Philadelphia, PA | Pittsburgh, PA | Providence, RI | St. Louis, MO | Augusta, ME | Washington D.C. | DC | White River Junction, VT | Wilmington, DE).

Requirements

Conditions 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.
All federal employee are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
If you receive a conditional offer of employment you will be required to complete an OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment form.
A complete application packet must be received including resume or other supporting documentation.
Official transcripts are required for further employment consideration, if grandfather clause or provisions do not apply.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/07/2024.

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-0101-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 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.

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.

To qualify for the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor GS-0101-13: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience must be met. In addition to meeting the Basic educational Requirements stated below, one(1) year of post- graduate level professional Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-12 level is required.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED
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 and Additional Requirements described below, to qualify:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for the VRC position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements:

Education Requirement: To qualify for the VRC position, candidates must meet 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.

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 in paragraph a. 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. To qualify for this grade level you must have a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation counseling that includes an internship.

Grandfathering Provision. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors employed within the VBA on the effective date of (July 28th, 2023) 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 Requirement:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12). Specialized experience is defined as one (1) full year of performance of technical assignments affecting the entire field of VA's Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) division. Specialized experience is defined as post-master's degree, professional Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling work in delivery to adults with disabilities. 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). Your resume/application must support your response. To meet the specialized experience, your resume should reflect:
- Experience in conducting assessments of veteran's employability.
- Involvement in the development of appropriate vocational goals and subsequent objectives outlined in rehabilitation plans.
- Providing case management services to veterans while pursuing their rehabilitation plans (e.g., personal contact regarding achievement of vocational goals, referral for medical or ancillary services, and responding efficiently to veterans' concerns).
- Experience in training; and understanding and clearly explaining to veterans, the benefits, and services available through the VR&E program.

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: No special physical requirements are required for this position. The incumbent works primarily in an office setting, but will occasionally travel for conferences and trainings. Work may consist of extended hours and lengthy periods of concentration.

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/.

Education

Education Requirement:

Master's Degree in Rehabilitation counseling that includes an internship.

OR

Master's Degree in counseling psychology (or related field) that included an internship in rehabilitation counseling and was supplemented by at least 30 semester hours of coursework in the majority of the following areas: foundations of rehabilitation counseling, human growth and development, counseling theories and techniques, vocational assessment, career development, job placement, case management, and medical/psycho-social aspects of disability.

OR

Master's Degree listed in 1 or 2 WITHOUT rehabilitation counseling internship. Where the internship was substituted for professional experience following completion of a master's degree. [Experience suitable for substitution must be one full year in direct delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to adults with disabilities in rehabilitation programs, other thank those in correctional facilities. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocation rehabilitation or closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.] In addition to the Positive Education requirements (Basic Requirement) listed above, applicants must have one year 52 weeks of specialized experience at the next lower grade level (GS-12) to qualify. To receive proper credit for your work experience, please be sure to include the dates of employment as well as the hours worked for each position in your resume. (i.e., 12/16/13 - 10/15/16, 40 hrs. per week.)

Please also be sure to address the Specialized Experience with specific details in your resume. We cannot make assumptions regarding your experience.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. If you are eligible for Grandfathering Provisions as listed below, a transcript is not required for submission.

Grandfathering Provision. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors employed within the VBA on the effective date of (July 28th, 2023) 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 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.

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

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 will be discussed during the interview process.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 (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.

Under 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), https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf

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.

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Source : USA Jobs