Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor.

Veterans Benefits Administration; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Benefits Administration in Chicago seeks a Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to oversee VR&E case management, ensure compliance with Chapter 31 and related directives, and guide a team of professionals.

The role requires advanced knowledge of federal program policies, experience in supervision, and ability to identify training needs; the incumbent will coordinate workload and ensure timely, accurate case processing.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or related field.
• Internship or one year post-master’s experience in vocational rehab.
• Must meet specialized experience: one year at GS-12 level.

Responsibilities

• Examine VR&E case files for compliance with guidelines.
• Identify trends and training needs.
• Plan and distribute work according to workflow and skills.
• Maintain program knowledge on statutes and policies.
• Review QRT work and verify accuracy.
• Assess issues in case components (application, entitlement, etc.).

Skills

Policy interpretation

Team leadership

Case management

Training needs assessment

Quality review

Education

Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling

Job description

Duties

• 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.
• 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.

Specific Duties Include

• 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.
• 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.

Work Schedule

Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible

NotAvailable

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 remote/virtual position.

Position Description/PD#

Supervisory Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor; PD39814A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report

• 2634.904(a). The selectee must submit the form before entering on duty and annually thereafter. Bargaining Unit: No

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Required

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the Agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the Agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your 1-year probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Additional Conditions of Employment are as follows:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Selectees are required to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period if not previously completed in a Federal position.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement: 10/24/2026.

TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT

As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.
• If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-13 or higher grade.

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

Applicants must meet both the Basic Requirement and the Minimum Qualification Requirement (Specialized Experience) as stated below. OR C Grandfathering Provision. VRCs employed in the Veterans Benefits Administration 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: Note: A transcript must be submitted with the application if all or part of the qualifications is based on education.

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:
• Supervised Internship: The education in paragraph 1A must have included a supervised internship in rehabilitation counselling 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.
• Experience: One-year post-master's degree work experience in direct delivery of professional vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.
• 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, 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
• MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience

Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes work in Veteran Readiness and Employment programs involving:

• Familiarity with Independent Living (IL) requirements;
• Application of psychological and vocational testing principles; and
• Practice relating to a broad range of vocational rehabilitation laws, regulations, rules, and policies related to implementing adjudicative decisions and/or developing rehabilitation plans.

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 position is primarily in an office setting. Some travel may be necessary on occasion for training, meetings, or customer interactions.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.Education must be accredited by an

All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a

Note: You may submit unofficial transcripts when applying. However, if you are selected for the position, you will be required to provide an official transcript or a statement from the institution (e.g., from the registrar, dean, or other appropriate official) or equivalent documentation prior to the start date.

Additional information

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 your 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

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

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),

Reasonable Accommodation Requests

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement.

To determine if you need a RA, please review

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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.