Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
What you'd do
Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (SVRCs) The SVRC Functions as first level supervisor for the VR&E personnel located at the Regional Office or out-based facility, providing advice and guidance on unusual or unprecedented problems. The work supervised is vital to the processes through which VBA directly serves the public.
Major duties
Specific duties include: Candidates must also demonstrate experience or training they possess, or have the potential to develop, the quality of successful supervision as follows: Assign to and review work of subordinates, train, and work effectively with subordinates from a variety of backgrounds and with different levels/areas of training. Accomplish the quality and quantity of work expected within set limits of cost and time. Plan own work and carry out assignments effectively. Communicate with others effectively both orally and in writing in working solutions to problems or questions relating to the work. Understand and further management goals as these affect day-to-day work operations; AND Develop improvements on or design new work methods and procedures. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8 am - 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/PD#: Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor; PD39814-A Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Bargaining Unit: No Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 07/20/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current/former Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirements. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. A Standard Form 50 (SF-50) that shows your TIG eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. Applicants must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50: Official SF-50 that shows you held the grade (or higher) for the full performance level of the position you are applying for, or Official SF-50 that shows you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. Multiple SF-50s may need to be submitted to show this. Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include which show TIG requirements have been met include: Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the job opportunity announcement; or Most recent appointment NOTE: Do not submit Award or General Adjustment SF-50s, as they do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying TIG. The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor series requires that all applicants meet both the Basic Requirement per the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) AND the Specialized Experience described below: IOR: To qualify for the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position, candidates must meet the following basic requirements: BASIC REQUIREMENT: Education. Successful completion of a master's degree (or higher) in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation services, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, career counseling or social work from an accredited college or university. Internship or Experience Requirement. The required (1) supervised internship or (2) post-master's degree experience is described as follows:(1) Supervised Internship: The education must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling or case management specialization. The internship must have been supervised by a professional in vocational rehabilitation or a closely related professional field that typically has oversight for vocational rehabilitation programs. OR Experience: One-year post-master's degree experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities. Grandfathering Provision: VRCs employed in VBA on the effective date, July 28, 2023, of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certifications that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply: VRCs who are grandfathered into the GS-0101 occupational series may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level of a career ladder or changed to a lower grade within the occupation or placed in a supervisory or managerial position. VRCs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not be extended or reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard. If VRCs who are grandfathered under this provision leave the occupation, they lose protected status and must meet the full qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Reference: Additional information on the qualification requirements for this position can be located on the OCHCO VA Qualifications Standards website found here. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade(s) GS-12 . GS-13 Grade Level: MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-12). Specialized experience is defined as one (1) full year of experience in Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment programs. Examples of specialized experience would typically include: Expertise with employment and vocational rehabilitation programs. Possessing knowledge and expertise in the procedures for vocational and rehabilitation law. The expertise to administer and counsel in the areas of counseling, rehabilitation, psychology, career development, and job placement entitlements. Your resume/application must support your response. To meet the specialized experience, your resume should reflect experience that has provided a thorough knowledge of general laws affecting Veterans and/or people with disabilities testing and evaluation, rehabilitation, job development and job placement and a full and complete knowledge of Chapters 18, 30, 31, 34, and 35 of Title 38, USC. Documented specialized experience will illustrate the ability to conduct, administer and advise in areas of education, training, counseling, and psychology affecting the entire field of VA's VRE program. 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; 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 is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 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/.
Before you apply
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