Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VetSuccess on Campus) at Las Vegas

JOB SUMMARY:

Our mission: To fulfill President Lincolns promise – "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" – by serving and honoring the men and women who are Americas Veterans.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

Duty Location is University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (Only). 

VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov

The Department of Veterans Affairs may offer Permanent Change of Station (PCS) relocation services. Permanent Change of Station is the relocation of a household due to government convenience in connection with a transfer between duty stations or facilities. For more information go to http://vaww.fscdirect.fsc.va.gov/pcs.asp.

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

Special Duties:  As theVetSuccess on Campus (VSOC) Counselor, the incumbent will help Veteran-studentssucceed and thrive through a coordinated delivery of on campus benefitsassistance and adjustment counseling leading to Veterans completing theircollege educations and preparing them to enter the labor market in viablecareers.  The VSOC Counselor will serveas the face of VA and therefore should have a working knowledge of all VAprograms and benefits.  The incumbentwill provide outreach and motivation activities, vocational testing, career andacademic counseling, and adjustment counseling to resolve problems interferingwith completion of education programs and entrance into employment. 

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• This is not a Drug Testing Designated position.
• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job

DUTIES:Back to top

• The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) provides and coordinates a wide range of rehabilitation and personal adjustment counseling services to disabled veterans and other eligible individuals. 
• The services provided include: initial rehabilitation evaluations, entitlement determinations, rehabilitation planning, problem solving counseling, case documentation and management, employment services, psychological testing and interpretation of test results, and guidance to junior VRCs. 
• The counselor assesses data received from medical, psychological, and vocational evaluations and develops complex individualized rehabilitation plans. 
• Collaborates regarding employment resource development and placement.
• The counselor acts as a liaison with local military installations, particularly with military personnel in the medical evaluations and discharge process and other support services. 
• At the full performance level, the counselor may oversee casework performed by lower-graded Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors and Specialists. 
• The VRC assists the veteran in exploring and identifying rehabilitation needs, goals, and objectives.
• The incumbent also provides individual and group counseling sessions to provide information and assistance with the program considering complete personal history, vocational and educational history, collection of data on limitations imposed by the veteran’s disability, abilities, aptitudes and interests.
• Acts as Contracting Officers technical Representative to acquire services needed in the rehabilitation process. 
• Serves as Transition Assistant Program (TAP) Coordinator for military service members with a service-connected disability who are separating or retiring from active duty (and their spouses).
• Acts as a liaison with local military instalations, particularly with military personnel in the medical evaluations and discharge process and other support services.

NOTE: RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Qualified applicants must have the education, experience, skills, and physical abilities as defined in the OPM Qualification Standards Operating Manual, Group Coverage Qualifications Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions, dated August 1995, and VA Directive 5338.1/1 requires the following experience or education:

Basic Requirement:  Satisfactory completion in an accredited college or university of all the requirements for a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, including an internship; or a master’s degree in counseling psychology or a related field, including at least 30 semester hours of course work in such areas as 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.  Total graduate study must have included or been supplemented by a supervised internship.  [For master’s degree programs without a supervised internship/practicum, substitution is allowed for successful professional experience following completion of the 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 than those in correctional facilities.  [A professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs must have supervised the experience or internship/practicum.]

GS-12 Level:  In addition to meeting the basic requirement, you must have 1 year of professional vocational rehabilitation experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).

Specialized experience may have been gained in positions that required the applicant to perform rehabilitation planning, initial evaluations, entitlement determinations, adjustment counseling, case documentation, employment services, administration and interpretation of vocational test etc., to adult clients with disabilities.  This experience can be from work settings such as Federal, State, or local government rehabilitation agencies, Rehabilitation departments of hospitals or medical centers, private rehabilitation facilities, or insurance agencies.  Experience with children, youth or the criminal justice system is not considered as meeting specialized experience.

NOTE: SUBSTITUTION OF WORK EXPERIENCE ONLY APPLIES TO THE INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENT. IT DOES NOT REPLACE OR SUBSTITUTE THE BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS OF A MASTERS DEGREE.

The primary degree required under the singel-agency standard is Rehabilitation Counseling. For related degree programs other than Rehabilition Counseling the focus of the ,asters degree program must have been on rehabilitation counseling as evidenced by the coursework required for the degree.

Supervised Internship-You must describe the duties and responsibilities performed during your supervised internship. Including the dates of the internship(s), where the internship(s) was performed, number of hours completed, and the name/title/phone number of the individual that supervised your internship.

There is no substitution of work experience for the basic educational requirement.

NON-QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE: Vocational rehabilitation experience obtained prior to completion of the requirements for the masters degree is not qualifying. 

The following competencies must be demonstrated in your resume for this position: 

• Knowledge of vocational rehabilitation counseling and case management techniques.
• Knowledge of different diagnostic assessment processes used in vocational, educational,rehabilitation, or personal adjustment counseling and effect of disabilities on employability.
• Ability to communicate in writing in a clear and concise manner.
• Ability to communicate orally with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and with varying degrees of understanding.
• Ability to understand and apply a large body of vocational rehabilitation laws, rules and regulations to develop a written plan of vocational rehabilitation.
• Ability to function effectively working as a team member.

WHEN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook or General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPMs website at: www.opm.gov/qualifications/x-118c

VA encourages person with disabilities to apply.

Physical Requirements: This position is primarily sedentary with some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of lightweight items (eg. folders, claims files, etc.)

Time-In-Grade: All applicants must meet time-in-grade requirments as outlined in 5 CFR, Part 300, Subpart F, within the closing date of this announcement.

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. For foreign education, a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency must be submitted with your transcript. All education claimed by applicants will be verified.

Position Sensitivity - This position has a position-sensitivity level of Low Risk.  Selections made under this announcement are conditioned upon favorable adjudication of a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) per VA Handbook 0710.  An investigation will be conducted after the effective date of the selection.  An individual currently holding the appropriate clearance does not require additional investigation.  If your new position requires a higher level background investigation than what you currently hold, you will be required to complete a new background investigation.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Your résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

Veterans Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on their application or résumé. Applicants claiming 10-point preference must complete an SF 15 (Application for 10-Point Veterans Preference) and provide a copy of their VA Ratings Letter. Applicants claiming 5-Point Veterans Preference need only provide a copy of their DD-214. Veterans who are still in the service may be granted 5 points tentative preference on the basis of information contained in their applications, but they must produce a DD Form 214 or other proof prior to appointment to document entitlement to preference. For more information on Veterans Preference, please visit: www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx

Country: USA, State: Nevada, City: Las Vegas, Company: Veterans Benefits Administration.