Career Center

This position functions as an interdisciplinary team member, assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program. Peer Specialists perform a variety of therapeutic & supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulation their goals for recovery & personal wellness, learning & practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, assisting them in their treatment and advocating for themselves to obtain effective services. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Have you obtained and currently maintain a VHA Approved Peer Specialist Certificate from any of the below: 1. Peer specialist certification provided by VHA OMHSP-contracted training vendor 2. Certificate from the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) Peer Support Specialist Course (74-hour) completed prior to August 1, 2022 3. Certificate from Recovery Innovations International (RI International or RI Consulting) Certified Peer Support Specialist Training also known as Peer Employment Training (72-hour course) completed prior to August 1, 2022 4. State-issued peer specialist certification BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PEER SPECIALISTS: a. Statutory Requirements. Section 405 of Public Law 110-387, as codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13), established that to be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must: (1) be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition; and (2) be certified by - (a) a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for a peer specialist position; or (b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position. b. Length of Experience as a Consumer of Mental Health Recovery Services. Veterans eligible under 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13) must have spent a minimum of 1 year in personal recovery from a mental health condition. NOTE: You MUST provide copies of your DD-214, Drivers License and Peer Specialist Certification, with your application package. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06 level. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08 level. 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. Specialized Experience for GS-06: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: progressively responsible, post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing counseling to support peers in mental health and/or addiction recovery, a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services, a psychiatric therapy aide, or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery. Specialized Experience for GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: progressively responsible, post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing counseling to support peers in mental health and/or addiction recovery, a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services, a psychiatric therapy aide, or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery. At this level, routine work has been completed with minimal supervisory oversight and review, however close supervision will have been provided for complex and unusual tasks. Specialized Experience for GS-08: 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: progressively responsible, post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing counseling to support peers in mental health and/or addiction recovery, a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services, a psychiatric therapy aide, or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery. At this level you have the ability to work with general instructions for the performance of routine duties and detailed instructions and/or training in performance of the non-routine functions and special assignments. Non-routine/novel work will have been reviewed by spot checking and after completion to evaluate the adequacy of methods, procedures, results, ability to solve new and changing problems, etc. Specialized Experience for GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: progressively responsible, post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing counseling to support peers in mental health and/or addiction recovery, a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services, a psychiatric therapy aide, or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery. At this level work will have been performed with considerable independence and you are responsible for making recommendations to the interdisciplinary treatment team that can be relied on for soundness of judgment and maturity of insight on problem cases. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-6 to GS-9. Physical Requirements: The applicant must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others. (See also VA Directive and Handbook 5019.) ["Assists veterans to articulate personal goals for recovery through the use of one-to-one and group sessions. During these sessions, the incumbent assists veterans in identifying solutions. The incumbent participates in the service, training, consultative and other professional activities of rehabilitation treatment program and functions as a full professional member of the multidisciplinary team in the inpatient or outpatient setting or other assigned specialty clinics to include but not limited to Primary Care/PACT homeless, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mental Health Intensive Case Management, residential care, Psychosocial Rehab, and substance abuse clinics. In this capacity, the incumbent completes assignments based on professional knowledge and recognition of demonstrated superior skill and proven sound judgment in working with serious and complicated recovery patients with very complex mental illnesses which may result in challenging requirements for communication and decision making skills. Serves as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for any effective recovery based services that will aid the veteran in daily living. The incumbent orients veterans new to the programs in which they work about the services, hours, locations, staff and other pertinent information their skills, strengths, supports and the resources needed to aid them in achieving those goals. Works with veterans to develop and implement a personal recovery plan, This peer centered recovery plan is instrumental for individuals to \"buy into\" the process of their recovery. Central to such plans are the overall health and well-being of each individual, not just their mental health. Components often include support groups and individual therapy, basic health care maintenance, stable housing, improvements in family life and personal relationships as well as community connections. The plan may also include education goals, vocational development and job seeking. Some plans outline a time table for coach monitoring, and/or a plan for re-engagement when needed to balance the health and overall quality of life for each individual. The incumbent assists veterans in determining the steps he/she needs to take in order to achieve these goals and self-directed recovery. The incumbent utilizes recovery tools such as the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to assist veterans in creating their own individual wellness and recovery plans. The incumbent also contributes to the development of an effective discharge plan. The incumbent assists with the execution of the recovery plan and monitors progress, making timely reports of progress and new problems to the treatment team. Utilizing his/her personal recovery experience, the incumbent will:- Teach and role model the value of every individual's recovery experience.- Assist the veteran in exploring options for obtaining decent and affordable housing of his/her choice in the most integrated, independent and least intrusive or restrictive environment, by making referrals to appropriate VA housing programs.- Model effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.- Assist in obtaining services that suit the individual's recovery needs.- Inform veterans about community and mutual supports and how to use these in the recovery process. Community resources may include but are not limited to consumer-run self-help and mutual support services, social security office, Department of Family and Children services, local YMCA, library, veterans' service organizations, apartment complexes and other types of housing, etc.- Assist veterans in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma through self-advocacy. This will be accomplished through regular meetings, individual or group sessions through the use of role playing/modeling techniques.- Serves as liaison with community-based consumer-run and/or consumer-supportive organizations to develop and/or foster veterans' community integration and development of natural supports and self-reliance strategies.- Provide support of veterans' vocational choices and assist them in choosing a job that matches their strengths, overcoming job-related anxiety by reviewing job applications, and providing interview tips and practice sessions. Performs other directly related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4:30pm. May be required to work outside the normal tour of duty which may include weekends and holidays. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: PEER SPECIALIST/PD997020, PD99701S, PD99697S, and PD99696S Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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