The Phoenix VA is recruiting for a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS). This specialist will serve within the Supported Employment (SE) Treatment Program, which operates under the Domiciliary Substance Use Disorder (DOM-SUD) program and the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program (SUDTP) in the Mental Health Services division. The VRS will be responsible for conducting assessment, job placement, employer contact, and on-the-job support, as well as crisis management.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/17/2025. 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-07. 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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 OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: Masters or equivalent graduate degree, 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, LL.B. and J.D, if related to vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other similar fields OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement if related to vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other similar fields. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified in the table, and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Employee Development Interpersonal Effectiveness 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. Physical Requirements: This position will involve walking, standing, sitting and the ability to move freely about the medical center eyesight and hearing and the ability to lift 50 lbs. is required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Major duties include, but are not limited to: Conducts vocational assessments that are ongoing and based on work experiences in competitive jobs. Works directly with community agencies, and community employers with the goal of assisting Veterans in obtaining and maintaining suitable employment. Provides assistance with job seeking skills and strategies as needed. Promotes optimal vocational functioning of Veterans within the community, in the context of prescribed job development interventions specified in the Veterans' treatment plans. Assists Veterans in understanding financial benefits, entitlement programs and housing eligibility requirements and the effects of working on their entitlement Provides ongoing support, negotiate any work site accommodations that may be needed, and work to develop natural supports within the community and work setting. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Compressed/Flexible: Authorized at Supervisor's Discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD93183A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized