The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position is located within the VA Black Hills Health Care System in Rapid City, SD. The position is responsible for the ongoing orientation and training of the Homeless Services continuum in order to connect Veterans to the most appropriate and least restrictive VA and/or community-based employment services. This position works with a collaborative team to create a platform for homeless Veterans to obtain competitive employment with appropriate support.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/08/2025. 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 and GS-11, position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 and GS-09, respectively. 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: This position has an occupational requirement for specialized experience that is defined as: 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. GS-09 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 what is stated above as well as: providing pre-employment assessments to determine the level of employment services support needed and workforce re-entry planning; maintaining respectful and effective relationships with patients, providers, community partners and organizations; monitoring progress and providing continued assistance throughout the job seeking process; experience working with an interdisciplinary team to provide ongoing support once employment is obtained. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, human services, or other fields related to the position. (NOTE: You must attach a copy of your transcripts.). 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 one full academic year of graduate level education. GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include what is stated above as well as: providing pre-employment assessments to determine the level of employment services support needed and workforce re-entry planning; establishing respectful and effective relationships with patients, providers, community partners and organizations; ensuring varying levels of medical center and community employment resources are available; monitoring and reviewing cases to ensure employment resources are leading to competitive employment and appropriate follow-up supports; maintaining a database of referral and placement outcomes and providing feedback to collaborative members. 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 with a major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, human services, or a closely related field. 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 two full academic years of graduate level education. NOTE: Please see the Education section of this announcement for additional information on substituting education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Education and Training Interpersonal Skills Technical Competence Therapy and Counseling 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. 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: Provides information, pre-employment assessment, and workforce re-entry planning services, linkage, and coordination for VA and non-VA services, and community-based follow-up services to integrate Veterans into the community through competitive employment. Establishes respectful, effective relationships with Veterans and the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions, including community employers. Provides guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff across the VA BHHCS to enhance and result in competitive employment outcomes for Veterans. Serves as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement and support services for homeless Veterans. Establishes a local employment collaborative to include VA and non-VA members and community-based employers. Ensures competitive employment resources of varying levels of intensity are available for homeless and chronically homeless Veterans, both at the medical center and in the community. Coordinates rapid access and placement strategies for Veterans that reduce barriers to employment. Monitors program performance and progress through case reviews (at least quarterly) to ensure Veterans are receiving services leading to competitive employment. Serves as an advocate on behalf of Veterans with members of the employment collaborative and community employers, to ensure comprehensive service delivery resulting in competitive employment. 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework (Employee who Teleworks on an occasional, episodic, or short-term, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement). Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD20319A and PD20322A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: The physical demands of this position are moderate. Although some of the physical work is sedentary, there will be significant local travel for support purposes to potential work locations, community locations, and Veteran work sites. This local travel may involve operating vehicles in inclement weather. The stress related to providing services to Veterans in emotional distress or who may be demanding and uncooperative, can be more significant than that of most sedentary positions. Work is performed in a well-lit and climate-controlled office environment. The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist may have to occasionally work outside in performing job observations or interventions of Veteran work performance. The nature of the Veterans served may entail some risk of physical harm if they become agitated. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.