This Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist position is in Mental Health services at the VA Bedford Healthcare System, located at the Bedford, MA location. This position is a full-time at 40 hours per week.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/11/2026.

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 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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: Vocational Rehabilitation Series 1715

Individual Occupational Requirements Education:

Undergraduate and Graduate Education:

Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position.

OR, Experience:

General Experience (for GS-5 positions): Experience that provided a knowledge of training practices, techniques, and requirements as they relate to vocational development or rehabilitation. 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. Grade GS-09 requirements:

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, but are not limited to: demonstrating the ability to assist in providing vocational rehabilitation services to clients with psychological, social, or vocational challenges; support the development and modification of training and employment programs; maintain community contacts; participate in job placement activities; and apply basic knowledge of vocational rehabilitation principles under supervision.

NOTE:

Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week.

OR, Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full academic years of progressively higher level graduate education vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position, or LL.B. or J.D., if related.

NOTE:

Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, Combination:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one full academic year of graduate level education.

TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

(To be creditable, this must be supported by your application materials) . Grade GS-11 requirements:

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, but are not limited to: demonstrating the ability to independently provide complex vocational rehabilitation services to clients with severe psychological, social, and vocational challenges; develop and implement individualized training and employment plans; coordinate with community resources and employers; provide ongoing support and counseling; and apply advanced knowledge of psychosocial rehabilitation and supported employment models.

NOTE:

Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week.

OR, Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or successfully completed 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position or LL.M., if related.

TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED.

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 a master's degree or more than 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position.

TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED

(To be creditable, this must be supported by your application materials) . 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/ .