Duties

Summary

Work Schedule: 8:00AM - 4:30PM (subject based on program needs)
Position Description/PD#: Peer Specialist~GS-0102-06 #00065-A, GS-0102-07 #00066-A, GS-0102-08 #00067-A, GS-0102-09 #00068-A
Bargaining Unit: Yes
Recruitment and Relocation Incentives will not be authorized

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Veteran is defined as a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The incumbent orients Veterans new to the programs in which they work about the services, hours, locations, staff and other pertinent information necessary for the Veteran to understand the program and how to utilize it. The incumbent may assist Veterans to articulate personal goals for recovery through the use of one-to-one and group sessions. During these sessions, the incumbent may assist veterans in identifying their skills, strengths, supports and the resources needed to aid them in achieving those goals.

The Peer Specialist 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 and supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery, learning and practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, assisting them in their treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self-help strategies based on the peer specialist's own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services.

The position assists Veterans in treatment, based on the principles of recovery, wellness, and resiliency, by promoting self-determination, personal responsibility, and the empowerment inherent in self-directed recovery.

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.

Duties not limited to:

• Functions as an interdisciplinary team member, assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a mental health treatment program.
• Performs a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting their peers in articulating their goals for mental health recovery, learning and practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, assisting them in their mental health treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self-help strategies based on the specialist's own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services.
• Incumbent functions as a role model, exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills; serves as a consumer advocate, provides consumer information and peer support for veterans in mental health treatment based on the principles of recovery and resiliency.
• Performs a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages, from young adults to old age, in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process.
• Participates in the service, training, consultation, and other professional activities of VA health care services and functions as a fully vested member of the multidisciplinary team.
• Serves as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for effective wellness and holistic recovery-based services that aid Veterans in daily living.
• Assists Veterans to articulate personal recovery goals through the use of individual or group meetings.
• Observes behaviors that might indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment (e.g., missed assessment appointments, failure to attend or maintain abstinence, risk to self or others, disruptive behavior), completes appropriate documentation, and reports concerns to the treatment team in a timely manner;
• Uses ongoing individual and group meetings to teach Veterans how to identify and combat negative self-talk and overcome fears by providing a forum that allows Veteran to share their experiences;
• As necessary, handles crisis interventions for Veterans and addresses other emergent situations without the benefit of specific instructions
• Maintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches in wellness and recovery by reading books, journals, and other relevant materials;
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
9

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• 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

The following basic requirements must be met:·

Statutory Requirements. Section 405 of Public Law 110-387, as codified in 38 USC 7402(b)(13), established that to be eligible to receive appointment as 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 as a Peer Specialist by:(a) a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for peer specialist position;

OR

b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position.·

Length of Experience as a Consumer of Mental Health Recovery Services. Veterans eligible under 38 USC 7402(b)(13) must have spent a minimum of 1 year in personal recovery from a mental health condition.

Specialized experience is 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.

To qualify for this position at the GS-6 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. At this level you are able to work from specific instructions for the performance of routine duties and detailed instructions and training in performance of the routine functions. Your work has been closely monitored including having work checked in progress and reviewing completed work for accuracy, adequacy, and adherence to instructions or procedures.

OR you must have successfully completed six (6) months of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application;

OR

you must have successfully completed a one (1) year post-bachelor's degree internship directly related to the work of this position (must be fully documented within your resume).

To qualify for this position at the GS-7 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. 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.

OR

you must have successfully completed one (1) year of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.

To qualify for this position at the GS-8 level you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. 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.;

OR

you must have successfully completed one and one half (1-1/2) years of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level you must have At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. 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.

OR,

you must have successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Time-in-grade: 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.

NOTE: You MUST provide copies of your DD-214 and Peer Specialist Certification, with your application package.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY:
In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs) as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
1. Assist Veterans with their recovery programs by providing Peer Support.
2. Ability to provide vocational support to Veterans in recovery programs.
3. Skill in effective written and oral communications.To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/17/2019.

• Education and Training
• Interpersonal Effectiveness
• Oral Communication

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.

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.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/ .

Education

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

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

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 [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, 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 Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and 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 for this vacancy. To be well-qualified : applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. 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 view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

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.

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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness , National security

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Resume (REQUIRED)
Peer Specialist Certification (REQUIRED)
DD-214 (REQUIRED)
SF-50 (REQUIRED if applicable)
Transcript (REQUIRED if applicable)
SF-15 (REQUIRED)
VA Disability Letter (REQUIRED)

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. 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-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

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.