Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

Summary

This position is being filled under the Expedited Hiring Authority for College Graduates.

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation, counseling, and case management services to disabled Veterans and other eligible individuals. The primary emphasis of the Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation Program is to assist Veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and sustain employment.

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Duties

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• Perform initial rehabilitation evaluations, entitlement assessments, rehabilitation planning, problem-solving, and adjustment counseling.
• Provide case management, including the coordination of all rehabilitation services, case documentation, and employment services; and, as necessary, the administration and interpretation of vocational testing.
• Provide services for employer consultation, employment development and placement, career counseling, and vocational planning and assessment.
• Combine data from diagnostic tests and medical records to give a comprehensive picture of strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and interests to help patients find a suitable employment or independent living objective.
• Partner with Vet Centers, career centers, local Disabled Veterans' Outreach Program, Specialists, Local Veterans' Employment Representatives, VA employment programs, and others to provide job search and placement services.
• Provide information and assistance with the Veteran Readiness and Employment program through individual and group therapy sessions.
• Conduct counseling using a variety of approaches, including tele-counseling, depending on the needs of the Veteran.
• Partner with administrators at schools, Vet Centers, military bases, and federal, state, and local agencies to determine the individual needs of service members and Veterans and to provide the essential assistance.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• 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 or 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 I-9 Acceptable Documents.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet both the College Graduate and the Basic Requirements stated below by the closing date of this job opportunity announcement, 07/09/2026.

COLLEGE GRADUATE REQUIREMENT: You must have obtained, within the previous two years, a graduate degree from an institution of higher education;

• Veterans who have completed a graduate degree and were unable to apply within two years of obtaining their degree due to a uniformed service obligation of at least 4 years, may apply within two years of their discharge from uniformed service.

Note: The two-year eligibility period begins on the date the degree is received, not the graduation ceremony date.

This position is covered by a single agency qualification standard, VA Handbook 5005/157, part II, appendix F2, dated July 28, 2023.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR)/BASIC REQUIREMENT AND THE SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AS STATED BELOW:

1. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR) / BASIC REQUIREMENT:

A. 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

B. Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows:

• Supervised Internship: The education in paragraph 1a must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counselling 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

• Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.

C. G randfathering Provision. VRCs employed in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) on the effective date July 28, 2023, 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, 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.

2. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

To qualify at the GS-09 grade level: None above the basic requirements listed above.

To qualify under the grandfathering provision, you may be required to submit multiple SF-50s to verify that you were permanently employed prior to July 28, 2023, and that you continue to serve as a permanent employee of the VBA as a VRC.

Education

Transcripts are required for all applicants and must be uploaded prior to the closing date of the job opportunity announcement. Delaying the upload of your transcripts can result in a later submission and review of your application. Applications will be reviewed once all required documents are received. An omission of transcripts by the closing date will result in an ineligible rating.

The required education under this single-agency standard is the 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.

Awarded/Conferred master's degree is required and must be reflected on transcripts submitted at the time of application. Transcripts (unofficial and/or official) must show evidence of a supervised internship and must also show that the degree has been awarded/conferred and the date awarded.

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:

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education

Additional information

This position is being filled under the Expedited Hiring Authority for College Graduates. This authority provides agencies the opportunity to hire recent college graduates to fill professional and administrative positions at GS-11 level and below.

Applicants can only apply to one location.

This is not a virtual or remote position. Relocation expenses are not approved for this vacancy. Applicants who apply and are selected for locations outside of their local commuting area are responsible for all costs associated with a move to the new official worksite.

Work Schedule : Regular office hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Alternate work schedules may be available.

Physical Requirements: Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meetings or customer interactions.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. The full performance level of this position is grade GS-12.

VA supports the use of ad-hoc telework- This position is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only. The selectee is required to report to the official duty station each scheduled workday. Telework may be approved only on a case-by-case basis with supervisory approval. Routine or recurring telework is not authorized for this position.

Receiving Service Credit for 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 employees credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used to determine the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

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),

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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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.

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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.