Peer Specialist

Summary

This Peer Specialist position may only be filled with a Veteran that meets statutory requirements that are detailed in the qualifications section. The Peer Specialist functions as an interdisciplinary team member - assisting physicians and other personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program. Performs a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery and personal wellness - learning - and practicing new skills.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 06/08/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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.

Basic Requirements:

• FOR PEER SPECIALISTS a
• Statutory Requirements
• Section 405 of Public Law 110-387 - as codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13) - established that to be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position - a person must: (1) be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition
• and(2) be certified by -(a) a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for a peer specialist position
• or(b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position
• b
• Length of Experience in Recovery: must have at least 1 year of recovery from a mental health condition (mental illness and/or substance use disorder)
• Successful recovery is exemplified by one who manages symptoms of illness and pursues a healthy lifestyle
• lives independently
• is employed or volunteers significant time approximating at least a part-time employment schedule
• has meaningful relationships with family members and friends
• and is socially involved in the community through clubs - hobby groups - church - civic organizations or Veteran organizations in which the individual provides a service to others
• NOTE: Applicants must provide on their resume or separate statement certifying the above requirement
• your application must contain sufficient documentation for our office to verify that the basic requirements are met or you may not be considered for further review
• Restricted to VETERANS - IMPORTANT NOTICE: Veteran is defined as a person who served in the active military - naval - air - or space service - and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable
• NOTE: You MUST provide copies of your DD-214 and Peer Specialist Certification - with your application package
• ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English
• You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position
• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR PEER SPECIALISTS GS-09: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-08 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has provided the knowledge - skills - and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist
• Specialized experience is progressively responsible - post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing support to others in mental health and/or addiction recovery - a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services - or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery
• At this level - work will have been performed with considerable independence and responsible for making recommendations to the interdisciplinary treatment team that can be relied on for soundness of judgment and maturity of insight on problem situations
• NOTE: In recruiting and examining for these positions - participation in community - social service - and similar volunteer activities that meets the definition of specialized experience is creditable applicant experience
• You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Problem Solving Communication Teaching Others Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies - federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description
• Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g. - a memorandum from the manager - human resources director - or official documentation such as SF-52 - SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments - or other comparable documentation)
• The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or - if part-time - the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties
• 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.

Duties

• NOTE: This is a TERM appointment not-to-exceed 4 Years
• Term appointments are non-status - nonpermanent appointments of limited duration (more than 1 year but not more than 4)
• Term appointments may be extended without further competition (up to the 4-year maximum)
• The appointment to a Term position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment
• This is a bargaining unit position
• Areas of Consideration: 1st - Facility-wide (including satellites) 2nd - Administration or Staff office posting the vacancy
• 3rd - All other Status eligibles
• The Department may limit or expand the number of applicants that may be received after the posting date
• This job announcement has been limited to receive the first 50 applications
• Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed
• The Peer Specialist functions as an interdisciplinary team member - assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program
• Peer specialists perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery and personal wellness - learning - and practicing new skills - helping them monitor their progress - assisting them in their treatment - modeling effective coping techniques and self-help strategies based on the peer specialist's own recovery experience - and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services
• Duties include - but not limited to the following: Participates in the service - training - consultation - and other professional activities of VA health care services and functions as a fully vested member of the multidisciplinary team
• Uses personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tolls to coach Veterans to relevant skills need for self-management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellness
• Observes behaviors that might indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment (e.g. - missed assessment appointments - failure to attend or maintain abstinence - risk to self or others - disruptive behavior) - completes appropriate documentation - and reports concerns to the treatment team in a timely manner
• Uses ongoing individual and group meetings to teach Veterans how to identify and combat negative self-talk and overcome fears by providing a forum that allows Veteran to share their experiences
• As necessary - handles crisis interventions for Veterans and addresses other emergent situations without the benefit of specific instructions
• Informs Veterans about VA and community supports and resources - including how to effectively utilize them in the recovery and wellness process
• Maintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches in wellness and recovery by reading books - journals - and other relevant materials
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards Work Schedule: Part-time - 9am - 5:30pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thursdays 9am - 1pm
• Compressed/Flexible: Available Position Description/PD#: Peer Specialist/PD99702S Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary
• Typically the employee sits to do the work
• There may be some walking - standing - bending - carrying of light items (such as books - papers) and accessing transportation
• The work may require occasional use of Department of Veterans Affairs approved behavioral management techniques with Veterans who present a danger to self or others
• Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level of GS-9.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.