Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens.

• Provide case management services including coordination of all rehabilitation services, employment services, documentation of progress and adjustment, and maintenance of case records according to VA regulations.
• Provide training and supervision to contract service providers to ensure that the services rendered are appropriate and in accordance with accepted professional standards.
• Provide coordination of all rehabilitation services such as financial decisions, adjust rehabilitation plans, and coordinate employment services.
• Implement minor adjustments to rehabilitation plans, if necessary, for the Veteran to meet the goals of the original plan.
• Research resources and funding available in the community for consumers.
• Provide comprehensive employment and post-employment services which include assessing employability and assisting in the development of an employment assistance plan.
• Responsible for the provision, supervision, and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or service members participating in the various programs.

This announcement establishes a Standing Register to fill vacancies as they arise. The first cut-off is November 23, 2026, with additional cut-offs through the closing date. See Qualifications for details.

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 grade progression for this position is GS-09/11.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Compressed/Flexible: Available
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.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description Title/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD38707A and PD38706A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Bargaining Unit: No

Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year or 2-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 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 all requirements by the cut-off date and/or closing date of this job opportunity announcement, 01/04/2027.

This Standing Register Job Announcement establishes an applicant pool to fill full-time permanent positions as vacancies occur. The announcement will remain open as stated in the vacancy notice. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be on or about November 23, 2026 with subsequent reviews every three weeks as additional vacancies occur, or on an as-needed basis, until positions are filled.

Applicants remain eligible for consideration for up to six months after the announcement closes or until they withdraw. Eligible applicants may also be considered for additional vacancies as new certificates are issued.

NOTE: Applicants must meet both the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and the Specialized Experience as stated below.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Education
Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position.

OR

Experience
Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5): 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.

In addition to the IOR applicants must possess specialized experience and/or education as described below:

Specialized Experience:

To qualify at the GS-09 grade level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the federal service or private sector.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness or human development theory and principles; and experience in career development process and career development theory.

OR

Applicants may substitute education for experience to qualify at the GS-09 grade level. Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

OR

Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-09 grade level. Combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education.

To qualify at the GS-11 grade level: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the federal service or private sector.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness or human development theory and principles; rehabilitation counseling skills, techniques and resources needed to work with individuals with multiple disabilities, homebound individuals, individuals with acute or chronic mental disabilities and those with problems adjusting to social and occupational requirements.

OR

Applicants may substitute education for experience to qualify at the GS-11 grade level. 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

Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 grade level. Combination of specialized experience and education beyond 2 full years of graduate level education.

Experience: 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.

Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements:The work normally involves mental rather than physical exertion. The work is mostly sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, and carrying of light items.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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

Applicants who do not fully address in their resumes the experience needed for the position (as described in the job opportunity announcement), or who do not possess the education to substitute for it, will not be referred for further consideration. After you have met the minimum qualifications, if you are referred for consideration you will be rated on the following the USA Hire competencies (KSAs) based on your application for this position:

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

If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include, but is not limited to responses to the KSAs; completion of a work sample, and/or an interview. You will also be rated on the following agency-specific competencies (KSAs):

• Therapy and Counseling
• Planning and Evaluating
• Partnering
• Customer Service
• Organizational Awareness

Referral listings will be created every 3-weeks. Final disposition will be completed once the position has been filled or the announcement reaches the end of the open period stated in the announcement. See schedule below.

• First cut-off date: November 23, 2026
• Second cut-off: December 14, 2026
• Close Date: January 4, 2027

You may be asked to submit additional job-related information, which may include responses to the KSAs identified in the job opportunity announcement; and/or completion of a work sample; and/or an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or your further consideration for employment.

After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your resume and application package does not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly.

Your application will be evaluated using the category rating method based on your responses to the assessment questions and the documents you submit. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:

1. Best Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrate a high level of the KSAs necessary to perform the duties of the position.
2. Well Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of the KSAs necessary to perform the duties of the position.
3. Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications requirements.

Note: Candidates eligible for Veterans' Preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligible candidates who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet the minimum qualification requirements will automatically be placed in the best qualified category.

Required Documents:
Resume (limited to 2 pages)

• You must provide a resume detailing your specialized experience and competencies relevant to the position.
• For qualifications determinations your resume must reflect hours worked per week, the inclusive dates of employment, and the level of your experience. If your resume does not reflect this information you will not receive credit for the experience.
• If you submit more than one copy of your resume, the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent." It is your responsibility to check the status and timestamp of all documents you submit as part of your application. We would recommend that you not submit more than one version of your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, we will not use it to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered further for the vacancy.
• Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational application questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Accepted Documents:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• CTAP/ICTAP Supporting Documents
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Transcripts

• If you are basing all or some of your qualifications on education or if a degree is required for the position, a transcript must be included as part of your application package.
• An unofficial transcript may be submitted, however, it must reflect the name of the school, course names, levels, credits earned, grades received, and degree conferred if applicable.
• Your transcript (official of unofficial) must reflect the degree conferred date if you are substituting a degree for experience.
• A photocopy of your degree is not acceptable in lieu of a transcript.
• An official transcript will be required at a later date if you are selected for the position.
• Whenever possible it is preferable that you submit copies of official transcripts. Unofficial transcripts may lack essential information necessary for a full evaluation of your qualifications.

Applicants claiming Veterans' preference must also submit:

• A legible copy of your DD Form 214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," showing all dates of service, as well as character of service (Honorable, General, etc.) is required. The member copy 2 or 4 of your DD Form 214 is preferable, as they show the characterization of service. Copies of DD-214s can be requested from the National Archives.
• Current active duty members must submit a signed statement of service from their commander dated within the last 120 days that reflects their expected discharge date, their release from active duty under honorable conditions, any medals awarded, and the timeframe of their service so that eligibility can be determined.
• Veterans or others (spouse, parent, widow, widower) claiming 10 point preference must also submit an SF-15 and all documents indicated on the form as proof of type of preference. This includes a VA letter supporting your disability claim with the overall percentage listed.
• If you are unsure as to whether you qualify for Veterans' preference, please consult the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Preference Advisor.

Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must also submit:

• Certification of expected separation or reduction-in-force separation notice,your most recent performance evaluation, and an SF-50 demonstrating your separation or the position you will be separated from; or
• Worker's compensation separation (agency certification of inability to place employee and notification of separation or a separation SF-50; or
• Disability annuity termination (notification from OPM of disability annuity termination and separation SF-50 of the last position held); or
• Military reserve or National Guard technician special disability retirement annuity under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456 (certification of special disability retirement annuity from a military department or National Guard bureau and separation SF-50 of the last position held).

Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure that all required documents have been submitted by the closing date of the announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information.

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