Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (SVRC)

Summary

The Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (SVRC) is assigned to the San Diego Regional Benefits Office, Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E). The incumbent is an integral part of VBA's Quality Assurance (QA) Program, supervises the QA Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRCs) on the Local Quality Review Team (QRT) conducting QA reviews for individual case managers, and serves as a key technical advisor to VR&E Service.

This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
  
  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.
• Federal employees - Excepted service
  
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• Individuals with disabilities
• Internal to an agency
  
  Current federal employees of this agency.
• Military spouses
• Special authorities
  
  Individuals eligible under a special authority not listed above, but defined in the federal hiring regulations.
• Veterans

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to those covered by the indicated hiring paths and living in the local, San Diego, California commuting area. Veterans eligible under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) and current permanent VBA employees holding the GS-13 or higher and seeking non-competitive reassignment/change to lower grade need not to live in the local commuting area to be considered.

Duties

The Major Duties of the Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (SVRC) are not limited to:

• Examines VR&E case files chosen for every VRC to ensure they comply with various guidelines, policies, and directives related to Chapter 31 delivery and other VR&E benefits.
• Identifies trends, best practices, and areas in which individual VRCs need clarification of policy or guidance, as well as training needs.
• Addresses employee grievances and forwards others to the relevant manager.
• Ensures that everyone in the team is aware of and involved in the planning process for achieving the goals and objectives of the group.
• Identifies, assigns, and distributes work among team members in accordance with established workflow, skill level, and/or occupational specialization.
• Maintains program knowledge to answer questions related to statutes, regulations, directives, policies, and procedures governing the provision of VR&E services.
• Reviews work completed by QRT employees under supervision and verifies the reviews' accuracy.
• Assesses and indicates issues in various case components, such as application, entitlement, assessment, planning, case management, financial activity, and case closure.
• Provides clarification for errors and adds remarks where appropriate.

Work Schedule: 7:00AM - 3:30PM Monday through Friday.

Telework: Available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: 39814A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/21/2024.

Local Commuting Area Requirement: This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees and current/former VA employees who are CTAP eligible.

If you are a current VBA employee requesting a reassignment or change to a lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-13 (or higher) and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-13.

And,

Time-In-Grade Requirement: You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade. General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes.

• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.

Specialized Experience: One (1) year of Specialized Experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Specialized experience is defined as

• GS-13 Level:
  
  
  • A comprehension of independent living (IL) requirements;
  • Experience with psychological and vocational testing principles;
  • Experience with a broad range of vocational rehabilitation laws, regulations, rules, and policies in the realm of implementing adjudicative decisions and/or developing rehabilitation plans.

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 http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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 [intellectual, severe physical, 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 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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. 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/.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

You will be evaluated on the following Competencies for this position:

1. Quality Management: Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools of quality assurance, quality control, and reliability used to ensure that a project, system, or product fulfills requirements and standards.
2. Leadership: Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors.
3. Planning and Evaluating: Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes.
4. Analysis and Problem-Solving: Applies the process of discovery that involves the diagnosis of a problem or issue, identification and gathering of relevant information, formulation and evaluation of alternative solutions or courses of action, and selection or recommendation of the preferred solution or course of action.
5. Communications: Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear, convincing oral and written communications; demonstrates logical thinking when describing facts and concepts, and shapes communications to meet the needs of a specific audience; actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and/or questions.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Review our benefits
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in lack of consideration for this job announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information.
  
  • Resume detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position.
    
    • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you should also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including documentation supporting Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
    • Your experience must be clearly stated in your resume. We cannot make assumptions on your experience based on your current, or former, position titles on your resume. Failure to clearly demonstrate your qualifying experience in your resume may result in disqualification for this position and your rating will be adjusted as necessary
  • You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade.General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes.
  
  In addition to the document above, you must submit additional documents to prove your eligibility for the following:
  
  
  1. ICTAP/CTAP: for displaced Federal/VA employees.
     
     
     • SF-50 showing Career or Career-Conditional status; AND
     • Reduction-In-Force (RIF) Notice or a certification of expected separation (not a resignation letter); AND
     • Most recent performance appraisal.
  2. Current/Former Federal Employees: A copy of your most recent SF-50 (not award or general adjustment).
     
     • The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
     • To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit a SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g., Promotion, Appointment, etc.)
  3. Veterans/Disabled Veterans:
     
     • DD-214 (MEMBER-4 Copy), or document from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or branch of service that shows dates of military service and character of discharge, AND
     • Disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or Armed Service, AND
     • SF-15 - Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference
  4. 100% Disabled Veteran Spouses:
     
     • Copy of your marriage license, AND
     • Veteran Spouses' DD-214, documenting retirement, release, or discharge due to disability, AND
     • Disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service, specifying 100% disability at the time of discharge, release, or retirement from active-duty service.
  5. Active-Duty Military Spouses:
     
     • Copy of your marriage license, AND
     • Documentation identifying marital status at the time of death and proof that you have not remarried, AND
     • Deceased Veteran Spouses' DD-214 documenting the death of the service member while on active duty, the death certificate; or a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service, etc. specifying the service member's death while on active duty.
  6. People with Disabilities, Schedule A:
     
     • A letter signed by a licensed medical professional or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist stating your condition and restrictions.
  7. Re-Instatement:
     
     • You must submit a copy of your separation Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your separation SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect:
       
       • Career or Career-Conditional (Tenure field box 24. is 1 or 2); AND
       • Your status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field box 34. is 1). AND
       • Highest grade previously held (Grade or Level field box 18.)
  8. Other Interchange Agreements: for employees of the Postal Career Service, Postal Rate Commission, Government Accountability Office (GAO), or Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
     
     • A copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form (SF-50) reflecting your status.
  
  
  Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50s (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  
  All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/21/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12571291.
  
  1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
  
  NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
  
  To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  Gloria Reed
  
  Email
  
  gloria.reed2@va.gov
  
  Address
  
  San Diego VA Regional Benefit Office
  
  8810 Rio San Diego Drive
  
  San Diego, CA 92108
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
  
  You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Criminal history inquiries
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Financial suitability
  • New employee probationary period
  • Privacy Act
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Selective Service
  • Signature and false statements
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in lack of consideration for this job announcement. You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Resume detailing specialized experience and competencies as they relate to this position.
  
  • For each position in your resume, you must specify the start and end dates (month/year) and a description of duties. If the position was Federal, you should also indicate the grade level. Resumes containing a general summary of all positions held, not specifying start/end dates, and/or not including documentation supporting Federal grade level(s) are insufficient to determine basic qualifications.
  • Your experience must be clearly stated in your resume. We cannot make assumptions on your experience based on your current, or former, position titles on your resume. Failure to clearly demonstrate your qualifying experience in your resume may result in disqualification for this position and your rating will be adjusted as necessary
• You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" showing that you are in the competitive service and the highest grade or promotion potential held. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess (1) year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates (1) year time-in-grade.General Adjustment and Award SF-50's cannot be used for time-in-grade verification purposes.

In addition to the document above, you must submit additional documents to prove your eligibility for the following:

1. ICTAP/CTAP: for displaced Federal/VA employees.
   
   
   • SF-50 showing Career or Career-Conditional status; AND
   • Reduction-In-Force (RIF) Notice or a certification of expected separation (not a resignation letter); AND
   • Most recent performance appraisal.
2. Current/Former Federal Employees: A copy of your most recent SF-50 (not award or general adjustment).
   
   • The SF-50 must indicate proof of status and should identify your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
   • To verify you meet Time-in-Grade requirements, also submit a SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade held (e.g., Promotion, Appointment, etc.)
3. Veterans/Disabled Veterans:
   
   • DD-214 (MEMBER-4 Copy), or document from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or branch of service that shows dates of military service and character of discharge, AND
   • Disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or Armed Service, AND
   • SF-15 - Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference
4. 100% Disabled Veteran Spouses:
   
   • Copy of your marriage license, AND
   • Veteran Spouses' DD-214, documenting retirement, release, or discharge due to disability, AND
   • Disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service, specifying 100% disability at the time of discharge, release, or retirement from active-duty service.
5. Active-Duty Military Spouses:
   
   • Copy of your marriage license, AND
   • Documentation identifying marital status at the time of death and proof that you have not remarried, AND
   • Deceased Veteran Spouses' DD-214 documenting the death of the service member while on active duty, the death certificate; or a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service, etc. specifying the service member's death while on active duty.
6. People with Disabilities, Schedule A:
   
   • A letter signed by a licensed medical professional or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist stating your condition and restrictions.
7. Re-Instatement:
   
   • You must submit a copy of your separation Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your separation SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect:
     
     • Career or Career-Conditional (Tenure field box 24. is 1 or 2); AND
     • Your status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field box 34. is 1). AND
     • Highest grade previously held (Grade or Level field box 18.)
8. Other Interchange Agreements: for employees of the Postal Career Service, Postal Rate Commission, Government Accountability Office (GAO), or Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
   
   • A copy of your Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form (SF-50) reflecting your status.

Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50s (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).


If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 10/21/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12571291.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Gloria Reed

Email

gloria.reed2@va.gov

Address

San Diego VA Regional Benefit Office

8810 Rio San Diego Drive

San Diego, CA 92108

US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request