Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) position is located within the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program. The VRS is responsible for the provision, supervision, and coordination of the rehabilitation services for Veterans or service members participating in various programs. The VRS is the coordinator of services and liaison between the service providers and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 09/08/2026 1. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at 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 level. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.

If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-11 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-11. 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. 2.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: To be eligible for this position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements: a. Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position. OR b.

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.

Reference: Additional information on the qualification requirements for this position can be located on the OCHCO VA Qualifications Standards website found here. In addition to the IOR applicants must possess specialized experience and/or education as described below: 3. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the time-in-grade and education/internship requirements, you must also meet the following grade-specific qualification requirements.

Creditable experience must have been obtained post-graduate and be directly related to the duties to be performed to qualify to work as a professional VRS. NOTE: If work experience is credited for the basic requirement, that experience cannot also be used for qualifying at the GS-11 level. 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 is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness or human development theory and principles; experience in career development process and career development theory.

OR Applicants may substitute education for experience to qualify at the grade 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 is work experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience for this position is defined as: Experience in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness or human development theory and principles; knowledge of rehabilitation counseling skills, techniques and resources needed to work with Veterans with multiple disabilities, homebound veterans, veterans 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 grade GS-11 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.

Combining Education & Experience: If you do not fully meet the length of experience and education described for a specific grade level (e.g., have six months of experience and some coursework but not a degree), the two can be combined to total 100% of the requirement. Click here for more information.

Volunteer 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; religious; 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. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The position is primarily in an office setting.

Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meetings, or customer interactions. 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/.