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Summary The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS)/ Transitional Work (TW) Specialist is assigned to the Therapeutic Supported Employment Services/ Compensated Work Therapy Program (TSES/CWT), which is located in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Section (PSRR) of Mental Health Services in the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS). The incumbent serves within the TSES/CWT TW program and provides a wide range of vocational services to veteran patients with disabilities. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Provides extensive vocational rehabilitation services to patients with a history of homelessness, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, and physical disabilities. Utilizes case management procedures to provide rehabilitation services. Keeps abreast of current rehabilitation methodology, counseling techniques, and related professional literature and participates in continuing professional education. Determining the vocational goals and objectives of the Veteran based on referral from a professional staff member or by interviewing the Veteran; Determining areas of vocational interest, and deciding what services such as job seeking skills training, resume development, or interview skills training the Veteran may require in order to successfully obtain employment; Analyzing mental and physical disabilities or other handicaps, in terms of the practical effects of such handicaps on motivations, adjustment to training, and difficulty in employment placement; Counseling and guiding Veterans through difficult transitions in the adjustment to employment; Helping employers understand the nature of the Veteran's abilities while maintaining a positive impression of the Veteran's capability of success; Approving any significant modifications to the placement contract, evaluating the results of the program, making sound professional arguments for recommended changes, and reporting program progress in accordance with established procedure; Assisting the Veteran to find suitable employment opportunities, monitoring progress, and promoting successful adjustment; Networking with community employers, community agencies, and community businesses with the goal of developing professional relationships with these groups in order to assist program participants in obtaining and maintaining suitable community employment; Provide aftercare and follow-up services to CWT graduates to ensure continuous support in adjusting to success, and handling the full range of social, living, personal, financial, and vocational issues. Performing related duties as required. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD11674A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/07/2025. 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 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR 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. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to (1) in-depth understanding of psychiatric conditions (e.g. SMI), substance abuse, medical (e.g. TBI), and physical disabilities as well as their impact on vocational functioning; has intensive knowledge of mental and physical disabilities and occupational information as they relate to providing appropriate training and employment opportunities for the veterans. (2) Expert knowledge and successful experience in job development, job marketing, and job securing, especially for people with unique needs (3) ability to contact and work creatively with representatives of various community resources, and negotiating employment opportunities and parameters, (4) working knowledge of a broad range of occupations, (5) abilities in interviewing and assessing veterans' interests, skills, coping styles, unique challenges, and in helping them identify jobs that are good matches for them,(6) ability to identify and arrange long-term supports and job accommodations to help veterans maintain employment, (7) knowledge about a variety of local, state, and federal benefits that may be available to veterans with a broad range of disabilities, including the most severe physical and mental limitations, and substance abuse histories (8) Masterful computer literacy with the ability to use computer software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and Outlook. Uses MS Word or Excel to execute several office automation functions such as storing and retrieving electronic documents and files, adding/ averaging spreadsheets for payroll and invoicing, activating printers, inserting and deleting text, formatting letters, reports and memoranda, and transmitting and receiving e-mail, (9) ability to select the pertinent techniques for data collection and to identify aspects of successful program operations that can be used for improving similar programs as well as work effectively in securing Memorandums of Understanding with employers interested in working with the TW program (10) ability to teach others how to work with veterans within the TW model, network with employers and implement program. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree 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 a combination of specialized experience and higher level graduate education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Transcripts required, and experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Education and Training Interpersonal Skills Manages and Organizes Information Psychology 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 physical demands of the position are sedentary to light. In addition to performing work in office settings, the position requires that the employee visit patients at TSES/CWT worksites around the Medical Center and in the community. The driving of government vehicles on station and in the community is required. Driving requirement: A current, valid state-issued Driver's License is required for this position. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you will be required to provide a copy of your current, valid state-issued Driver's License. Please provide your driver's license number, issuing state and expiration date. 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/. Additional Information 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.