Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs › Veterans Health Administration (3689 current openings)

Who may apply

Limited to the following applicant groups:

Internal to an agency

Tampa, Florida

Full-time Security Clearance: Not Required

Application Deadline:

2026-08-27

Posted:

2026-08-17

About 1 week left

Apply on usajobs.gov

Salary: $74,678 – $97,087 per year (GS-11)

Job Details

Position Overview

This position exists to independently plan, deliver, and manage a full caseload of complex, individualized vocational rehabilitation programs for Veterans and Active Duty Service Members whose severe and multiple disabilities significantly impair their capacity for employment, education, and independent living. The position is located within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PMRS), Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to:
Independently conducts comprehensive biopsychosocial and vocational assessments for Veterans whose disabilities are severe, multiple, and interacting. For example, a Veteran with traumatic brain injury producing executive function and memory deficits, cooccurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain, where each condition confounds assessment of the others. The incumbent selects, administers, scores, and interprets vocational evaluations and functional capacity measures, and determines when standard instruments are invalid for a given presentation, constructing an alternative assessment approach. Synthesizes medical records, disability documentation, interviews, behavioral observation, and standardized data-often incomplete or contradictory-to identify transferable skills, work tolerances, and the true vocational implications of the disability, and formulates recommendations for accommodations, assistive technology, or environmental modifications.

Independently develops person-centered, individualized vocational rehabilitation plans, constructed case by case rather than selected from a template, using Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and TimeBound (SMART) goals, and continuously revises them as the Veteran's medical status, cognition, or motivation changes.

Designs, arranges, and monitors therapeutic and evaluative work experiences (Non Paid Work Experience, extended evaluation, transitional work) tailored to the individual case to evaluate abilities, build work tolerance, and develop work habits and soft skills. Serves as a core member of interdisciplinary treatment teams, presenting vocational findings and providing consultation to physicians, psychologists, and therapists on the vocational aspects of complex conditions.

Work Schedule: Tuesday Saturday 8:00am-4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position. Selectee MUST physically report to the James A Haley VA Medical Center.
Position Description/PD#: Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist/PD01551A

Qualifications & Requirements

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/27/2026.
Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR)
You must meet one of the following bullet points to qualify:

Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- vocational rehabilitation, rehabilitation counseling, or other fields related to the position.

-OR-

Specialized Experience : 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.
Time-in-Grade Restriction: 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. (If you are a WG/WS/WL employee and have not held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, this question does not apply to you.) For this vacancy, applicants must have held grade GS-09 or higher for at least a year to be eligible for the GS-11 grade level of this position. The grade must have been held in the Federal service but may have been in any occupation. (SF-50 Required)

Specialized Experience GS-11: Applicants must have one (1) full year of specialized experience related to this position. This experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal Service. Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to:

Experience administering vocational assessment tools.
Experience with the concepts of physical and psychosocial rehabilitation.
Experience placing clients into appropriate employment sites and following up with clients
Ability to communicate effectively with professionals and other staff orally and in writing.
Knowledge of veteran benefits and eligibility requirements for various programs.

-OR-
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

-OR-

Combination of Experience & Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education.
The IOR, Time In Grade and Specialized Experience are 3 completely separate items and all 3 must be met to meet minimum qualifications*****

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

Attention to Detail
Customer Service
Decision Making
Flexibility
Integrity/Honesty
Interpersonal Skills
Learning
Reading Comprehension
Reasoning
Self-Management
Stress Tolerance
Teamwork

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.

Preferred Experience: Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Credential issued by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC).

The following are quality ranking factors. These are knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies (KSAs) that could be expected to significantly enhance performance in this position but are not essential for satisfactory performance. Applicants who possess these KSAs/competencies may be ranked above those who do not; however, no applicant will be rated ineligible solely for failure to possess them.

Demonstrated experience administering, scoring, and interpreting a broad range of standardized vocational assessment and evaluation instruments across diverse disability populations, and integrating those results into individualized rehabilitation and employment plans.
Demonstrated experience interpreting functional capacity evaluation results alongside complex medical, psychological, and vocational documentation, then matching the individual's abilities and limitations to specific job demands and realistic employment options.
Demonstrated experience recommending assistive technology, job modifications, and reasonable accommodation options in coordination with employers, treatment teams, and appropriate agency officials, consistent with the Rehabilitation Act and applicable Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
Demonstrated experience coordinating with employers, community resources, and multidisciplinary treatment teams to support job placement, retention, return-to-work outcomes, or independent living services.

Physical Requirements: Work is sometimes performed in an office or treatment room but can be conducted at bedside. Additional services may be delivered in rooms throughout the medical center, in the outpatient clinic areas, and sometimes off station.

Physical Demands: The work is sedentary in nature. Training in CPR is recommended, but not required. Adherence to infection control procedures is essential. The VRS should be totally familiar with code procedures for this medical center. In addition, the VRS should be familiar with the policies that govern his/her assignment during either external or internal disaster drills.

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.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
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
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Evaluations

Note: IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Verbiage displayed on your resume or application must contain your own words. You may refer to the specialized experience located within the vacancy announcement, to assist with describing work experiences; however, resumes or applications received that copied verbatim from the announcement will be evaluated and may be reviewed as falsifying your experience or application

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

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.

Required Documents

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

Resume

Resume Reminder - Your resume MUST contain dates of employment (i.e., month/year to month/year or to present). To ensure you receive full credit for relevant experience, please use as much detail as needed including the hours worked per week, position title, and how the experience was gained. If including Federal service experience, provide pay plan, series and grade (e.g. GS-0301-09.) Your resume must NOT include photographs, inappropriate content, orpersonal information such as age, gender, religion, social security number. If your resume does not contain the required information specified, or contains prohibited information as listed above, your application will be determined incomplete, and you will not receive consideration for this position.

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
Disability Letter (Schedule A)
License
Other (1)
PCS Orders
Performance Appraisal
Professional Certification
Resume
Separation Notice (RIF)
SF-15
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 showing you are a current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs 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.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/27/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13039417.

To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

Source: Data sourced from USAJOBS