Jobs for People with MS: National MS Society

Summary The Vocational Developmental Specialist is located at the serves as each VA Medical Center's Community Employment Coordinator for Homeless Veterans. The incumbent is a central figure (liaison, advocate, technical advisor) 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. Responsibilities The Vocational Development Specialist has a direct impact on the local implementation of the National imperative to end Veteran homelessness, unemployment being a key barrier to permanent sustainable housing. The position is vital in encouraging local stake-holders (e.g. VAMCs, VHA, VBA, State, and private employment entities etc.) to work together towards employing homeless Veterans while reducing redundancies in services. Duties include but not limited to the following: 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 with the clinical and administrative staff from a range of institutions and agencies, including community employers. Provides guidance and training to all homeless programs and staff across the VAMC on resources that enhance and result in competitive employment outcomes for Veterans, in particular those who are homeless or have other barriers to employment. Works with local staff in developing templates for concise, individualized Veteran-centered assessments to determine the needed intensity level of employment services and supports for homeless Veterans. Serves as a liaison to local community providers of employment placement and support services for homeless Veterans. Leads efforts to establish a local employment collaborative which includes VA and non-VA members and community-based employers, and documents access points, requirements for participation and points of contact as indicated. This collaborative should include but is not limited to: Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWT); HCHV and HUD-VASH Employment Specialists; Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and GPD grantees that target employment; Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)/Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E); Department of Labor grantees such as the Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program (HVRP); and local community and faith-based organizations. Develops employment opportunities for homeless Veterans both directly through community-based job development and indirectly by leveraging the expertise of the employment collaborative. Ensures that through the collaborative, competitive employment resources of varying levels of intensity are currently available for homeless and chronically homeless Veterans both at the medical center and in the community. This should include services targeting chronically homeless Veterans who may benefit from a more intensive individualized job development and placement model such as supported employment, as well as Veterans who may request and require a less intensive or even singular service (e.g. resume preparation or job leads) in order to achieve an improved employment outcome. The types of employment services available for homeless Veterans should include but is not limited to: Access to job listings Resume preparation Counseling regarding the impact of employment income on both VA and non-VA benefits and entitlements Negotiations with employers for reasonable accommodations Assistance with completion and submission of job applications Coordination of and transportation to job interviews Interview skills training Job development Job placement Ongoing support for job retention including job coaching. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Vocational Development Specialist/PD093243 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): No Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements 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 Must pass pre-employment driver physical examination 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, 06/14/2024. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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. **This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, or ability essential for satisfactory performance of the job). The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Requires a valid PA driver's license to operate a motor vehicle. Applicant must maintain and update their driver's license. If license is suspended or removed, must notify Supervisor immediately. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet this are ineligible for further consideration. There will be times when this employee has to travel to surrounding counties or to all area CBOCs. 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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Obtaining and applying occupational information for people with disabilities; knowledge of the involved professional and specialist services; skill in employing the methodology and techniques of counseling to motivate and encourage individuals in program; knowledge of the vocational rehabilitation problems characteristic of the disabled, including familiarity with available resources; skill in identifying, evaluating, and making effective use of such resources to serve individuals with disabilities or 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, development 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: 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 in a major study of: vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields directly related to this position. (TRANSRIPT REQUIRED TO ATTACH). OR Combination: Possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Customer Service Developing Others 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. Physical Requirements: Although the typical work of a vocational rehabilitation specialist is primarily sedentary, this position is different because it calls for the incumbent to actually be able to attend the work place with the veteran for a limited period of time and if necessary perform the job duties to demonstrate and reinforce them to the veteran. Therefore, a valid and unrestricted Driver's License is required. Therefore, lifting up to 50 pounds, bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching above the head, standing long periods or walking long distances and performing repeated motions may be required. It will all depend on the veteran's needs, preferences and job availability. 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/. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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 an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.