Duties

Summary

This position is located in Richmond VA Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia in Mental Health Service. 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.
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Responsibilities

Assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in an outpatient mental health program.

Peer Specialists perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting their peers 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 specialist's own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services.

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 outpatient setting.

Ability to assist others in treatment based on the principles of recovery and resiliency. By inspiring the hope that recovery and resiliency are achievable goals, the incumbent can assist others who are diagnosed with mental illness or co-occurring disorders to achieve their personal recovery goals by promoting self­ determination, personal responsibility, and the empowerment inherent in self-directed recovery.

Performs a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages, from young adult to old age, in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process.

Assist veterans in articulating personal goals for recovery through the use of one-to-one and group sessions.

Work with veterans to develop and implement a personal recovery plan.

Utilizes recovery tools such as Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to assist veterans in creating their own individual wellness and recovery plans.

Share own recovery story which will demonstrate how they have directed their own recovery to veterans.

Uses ongoing individual and group sessions to teach veterans how to identify and combat negative self talk and how to identify and overcome fears by providing a forum which allows group members to share their experiences.

Assist veterans in developing empowerment skills and combating stigma through self advocacy.

Assist veterans in building social skills in the community that will enhance job acquisition.

Serves as liaison with community-based consumer-run or consumer-supportive organizations to develop and foster Veterans' community integration.

Inform veterans about community and mutual supports and how to use these in recovery process.

Completes appropriate documentation, and reports concerns to the treatment and recovery team in a timely matter.

Assist in the execution of recovery plan and monitors progress, making timely reports of progress and new problems to the treatment team.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level GS-09 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 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: AD HOC ONLY
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: PEER SPECIALIST/PD00068-A, PD00065-A, PD00066-A, and PD00067-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/16/2021.

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. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Citizenship: Citizen of the United States

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

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

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.

In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have specialized experience or education in order to qualify. 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.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL GRADES (6/7/8/9). ****NOTE: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE MUST BE WELL DOCUMENTED AND DETAILED IN YOUR RESUME OF WORK PERFORMED. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL DISQUALIFY YOU FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION.****

GS-06: Specialized Experience at the next lower graded level (GS-05), which involved 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. 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
Substitution of Experience: Six (6) months of graduate education or a 1-year post-bachelor's degree internship for experience required for the GS-06. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

GS-07 - Specialized Experience - Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the (GS-06) level in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: performing the full range of routine peer support assignments under close supervision of a mental health provider or higher level Peer Specialist; applying policies, procedures, and guidelines without specific instruction in selected cases of limited difficulty. At the GS-06 level your work was checked in-progress and reviewed when completed for accuracy, adequacy, and adherence to instructions and procedures but supervisory controls may have been lessened as you made satisfactory progress in your work.
OR
Substitution of Education - Applicants may substitute one (1) full year of graduate education for the experience required for the GS-07 level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

GS-08 - Specialized Experience - Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the (GS-07) level in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: performing the full range of routine peer support assignments with minimal supervisory oversight and review; under closer supervision occasionally handling more complex or unusual tasks such as crisis interventions. At the GS-07 level your supervisor provided you with general instructions for the performance of routine duties and detailed instructions and/or training for the performance of non-routine duties and special assignments.
OR
Substitution of Education - Applicants may substitute one and one-half years of graduate education for the experience required for the GS-08 level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

GS-09 Specialized Experience - Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the (GS-08) level in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: performing the full range of routine peer support assignments independently and performing non-routine and/or special assignments after being provided detailed instructions and/or training. At the GS-08 level you provide services to patients who have more complex psychiatric, personality, medical or psychosocial disorders.
OR
Substitution of Education - Applicants may substitute two full years of graduate education. for the experience required for the GS-09 level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills

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 work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee sits to do the work. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items (such as books, papers), and accessing transportation. The work may require occasional use of Department of Veteran's Affairs approved behavioral management techniques with Veterans who present a danger to self 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

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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

Required Documents

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

• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Professional Certification
• Resume

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.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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.