Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor at Columbia

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 918835

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. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips. Not only is it the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the Nation, but we also provide many other services to Veterans through the Benefits Administration and National Cemeteries. 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.

 

• This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
• Relocation expenses are NOT authorized.
• Promotion Potential: GS-12
• Recruitment is at the GS-11 and GS-12 only.
• Selectee may be subject to a one year probationary period.

For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/ .

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Submit a complete application and all supporting documents.
• Complete the online questionnaire.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Graduate Level Transcripts are REQUIRED.
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required.

DUTIES:Back to top

• Provides and coordinates a wide range of rehabilitation counseling and case management services to veterans with disabilities and other eligible individuals.
• Performs initial evaluations, makes eligibility determinations, does rehabilitation planning and problem solving, and conducts counseling.
• Coordinates and implements rehabilitation services, case documentation, employment services, and administration and interpretation of vocational testing.
• Makes recommendations and referrals to other sources, which may assist the veteran.
• Acts as Contracting Officers Technical Representative to acquire services needed in the rehabilitation process.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

Qualifications: This position is covered by a single agency qualification standard, VA Handbook 5005/6, part II, appendix F2, dated June 3, 2004. All applicants must meet the Basic Educational Requirements and Specialized Experience described below, to qualify.

 ·BASIC EDUCATIONAL 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. The experience or internship/practicum must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs.]

 · GS-11: Basic educational requirement AND Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic educational Requirements stated above, one year of post-graduate level professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-09 level is required. OR In addition to meeting the basic educational requirements, successful completion of 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology.

 · GS-12: Basic educational requirement AND Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic educational Requirements stated above, one year of post-graduate level professional vocational rehabilitation counseling experience, equivalent to the GS-11 level is required.

 Specialized Experience may have been gained while working with vocational rehabilitation service programs at the Federal, State, Local or private sector levels which required performing initial evaluations; entitlement determination; rehabilitation planning; problem solving; case management, including coordination of all rehabilitation services; case documentation; employment service; administration and interpretation of vocational testing; instructing and interaction with a variety of clients, professionals and potential employers; Interpreting and applying Federal and State vocational rehabilitation laws and regulations in the provision of services to disabled clients; Providing individual counseling to emotionally and physically disabled adults; and coordinating the service necessary to prepare mentally and physically disabled adults for suitable employment.

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

 · [NOTE: If one year of work experience is credited for determining minimum qualifications, that year cannot also be used for determining grade level. For example, for candidates with two years of qualifying work experience, but no internship/practicum, the first year of experience is used to meet the basic requirement and the second year of experience to qualify for GS-11.]

 · The primary degree required under this single-agency standard is Rehabilitation Counseling. For related degree programs other than Rehabilitation Counseling the focus of the masters 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. Include 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 master’s degree is not qualifying.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Specialized Education:

Masters degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, including a Supervised internship; or a masters degree in counseling psychology or a related field, including at least 30 semester hours of creditable course work and a supervised internship.

 

Awarded/Conferred Masters Degree required (must be reflected on transcripts).

 

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must submit original official college transcripts from an accredited educational institution that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and that education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applicants will be ranked based on three quality groups, as follows:

• Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirement of the job;
• Qualified - Applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

 

After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group. Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group. Qualifying Veterans with a service-connected disability of 10% or more will be placed at the top of the best-qualified group. The best-qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview. The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Applicants must possess training and experience that clearly demonstrates the following knowledge, skills, and abilities. This experience and/or training MUST be reflected by descriptions of your experience in your resume

• 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.

 

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

 

Veterans Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), or dates of impending separation.

Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as stated on the form.  For more information, please review the information for disabled Veterans in the application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.

Country: USA, State: South Carolina, City: Columbia, Company: Veterans Benefits Administration.