Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Summary

This position exists to independently plan, deliver, and manage a full caseload of complex, individualized vocational rehabilitation programs for Veterans and Active Duty Service Members whose severe and multiple disabilities significantly impair their capacity for employment, education, and independent living. The position is located within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PMRS), Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

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Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

Independently conducts comprehensive biopsychosocial and vocational assessments for Veterans whose disabilities are severe, multiple, and interacting. For example, a Veteran with traumatic brain injury producing executive function and memory deficits, cooccurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain, where each condition confounds assessment of the others. The incumbent selects, administers, scores, and interprets vocational evaluations and functional capacity measures, and determines when standard instruments are invalid for a given presentation, constructing an alternative assessment approach. Synthesizes medical records, disability documentation, interviews, behavioral observation, and standardized data-often incomplete or contradictory-to identify transferable skills, work tolerances, and the true vocational implications of the disability, and formulates recommendations for accommodations, assistive technology, or environmental modifications.

Independently develops person-centered, individualized vocational rehabilitation plans, constructed case by case rather than selected from a template, using Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and TimeBound (SMART) goals, and continuously revises them as the Veteran's medical status, cognition, or motivation changes.

Designs, arranges, and monitors therapeutic and evaluative work experiences (Non Paid Work Experience, extended evaluation, transitional work) tailored to the individual case to evaluate abilities, build work tolerance, and develop work habits and soft skills. Serves as a core member of interdisciplinary treatment teams, presenting vocational findings and providing consultation to physicians, psychologists, and therapists on the vocational aspects of complex conditions.

Work Schedule: Tuesday Saturday 8:00am-4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position. Selectee MUST physically report to the James A Haley VA Medical Center.

Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist / PD01551A

Requirements

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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 period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/27/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR)

You must meet one of the following bullet points to qualify:

• Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study vocational rehabilitation, rehabilitation 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.

Time-in-Grade Restriction : 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. (If you are a WG/WS/WL employee and have not held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, this question does not apply to you.) For this vacancy, applicants must have held grade GS-09 or higher for at least a year to be eligible for the GS-11 grade level of this position. The grade must have been held in the Federal service but may have been in any occupation. (SF-50 Required)

Specialized Experience GS-11 : Applicants must have one (1) full year of specialized experience related to this position. This experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

• Experience administering vocational assessment tools.
• Experience with the concepts of physical and psychosocial rehabilitation.
• Experience placing clients into appropriate employment sites and following up with clients
• Ability to communicate effectively with professionals and other staff orally and in writing.
• Knowledge of veteran benefits and eligibility requirements for various programs.

-OR-

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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 of Experience & Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education.

The IOR, Time In Grade and Specialized Experience are 3 completely separate items and all 3 must be met to meet minimum qualifications*****

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

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.

Preferred Experience: Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Credential issued by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC).

The following are quality ranking factors. These are knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies (KSAs) that could be expected to significantly enhance performance in this position but are not essential for satisfactory performance. Applicants who possess these KSAs/competencies may be ranked above those who do not; however, no applicant will be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess them.

• Demonstrated experience administering, scoring, and interpreting a broad range of standardized vocational assessment and evaluation instruments across diverse disability populations, and integrating those results into individualized rehabilitation and employment plans.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting functional capacity evaluation results alongside complex medical, psychological, and vocational documentation, then matching the individual's abilities and limitations to specific job demands and realistic employment options.
• Demonstrated experience recommending assistive technology, job modifications, and reasonable accommodation options in coordination with employers, treatment teams, and appropriate agency officials, consistent with the Rehabilitation Act and applicable Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with employers, community resources, and multidisciplinary treatment teams to support job placement, retention, return-to-work outcomes, or independent living services.

Physical Requirements: Work is sometimes performed in an office or treatment room but can be conducted at bedside. Additional services may be delivered in rooms throughout the medical center, in the outpatient clinic areas, and sometimes off station.

Physical Demands: The work is sedentary in nature. Training in CPR is recommended, but not required. Adherence to infection control procedures is essential. The VRS should be totally familiar with code procedures for this medical center. In addition, the VRS should be familiar with the policies that govern his/her assignment during either external or internal disaster drills.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

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: 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:

Additional information

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.