Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; White City (OR); On-site; USD 65,000 - 93,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (SORCC) in White City, Oregon, seeks a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist to work across the center, clinics, and community settings to support Veterans in achieving competitive employment.

The role requires meeting IOR and time-in-grade requirements, with duties spanning vocational assessment, counseling, and coordination of employment-related services within the Social Work and Vocational

Qualifications

• Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Undergraduate/graduate major in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships with Veterans to support competitive employment in community settings.
• Assess training needs to meet Veterans' vocational goals and assist with job development and job carving.
• Provide counseling to help Veterans stay on treatment and pursue employment opportunities.

Education

Education in vocational rehabilitation or related field; transcript required

Job description

The Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS) position is located at The Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (SORCC) in White City, Oregon in the Behavioral Health Service Line within the Social Work and Vocational Rehabilitation division. The incumbent is assigned vocational rehabilitation duties throughout the SORCC, its clinics, and in the community.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/30/2026. 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-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.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the GS 1715 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for this occupational series, applicants must have one of the following listed below: Undergraduate and graduate education Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or other fields related to the position (Transcript required). OR, 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.

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement requirements, applicants may qualify based on experience and/or education as described below: 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: Establish and maintain relationships with Veteran to support successful goal of competitive employment in community job settings. Assesses training needs to meet client's vocational goals. Conduct job development, job search, and job carving activities to secure employment opportunities tailored to each Veteran's strengths, interests, and abilities. Provides counseling to allow treatment to continue on schedule. Exercise sound judgment and problem-solving skills in working with employers to ensure successful employment for the Veterans and the employer. Maintain employer contacts based on individual Veteran's interest. Develop strategies that motivate Veterans to actively pursue employment opportunities and address concerns related to benefits.

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 successfully completed a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, 3