Rehabilitation Counselor

Serves as a developmental Rehabilitation Counselor (RC) providing vocational and personal adjustment counseling therapeutic rehabilitation interventions and case coordination services. Serves receives guidance and advice from supervisor and senior staff as needed.

Provides developmental vocational rehabilitation services to Veterans with a wide array of psychiatric and physical disabilities and psychosocial conditions that present a myriad of barriers to achieve competitive employment and educational and independent living goals.

Serves as a consultant to an interdisciplinary treatment team or other clinical staff as it relates to the Veterans vocational rehabilitation needs.

Communicates appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers concerning the Veteran.

Ensures fidelity to evidence-based and evidence-informed vocational and professional counseling practices.

Evaluates Veterans abilities and disabilities; monitors and records Veterans progress to ensure goals and objectives are met.

Conducts biopsychosocial assessments using medical records pertinent disability documentation and observation. Incorporates interviews into the assessment with the Veterans and their support systems to generate personal vocational and educational histories.

Synthesizes the information to develop case conceptualization and make clinical recommendations to facilitate treatment planning and provision.

Selects administers and interprets psychometric assessments and vocational instruments to evaluate abilities transferrable skills aptitudes interests values preferences and overall work resilience.

Customizes vocational exploration activities including informational interviews and labor market research to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals.

Determines clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services.

Develops patient-centered treatment plans using Specific Measurable Agreed upon Realistic and Time-based (SMART) goals and provides regular ongoing assessment of Veterans progress.

Provides job development job placement job coaching job accommodation adaptation retention and education services to both Veterans with disabilities and for those employers who employ these Veterans. Conducts a job analysis to identify essential functions and develop reasonable accommodations.

Promote employment programs to community employers to establish relationships that will result in providing work opportunities for Veterans with significant behavioral physical emotional and/or cognitive impairments.

Facilitate job placement for Veterans by teaching valuable job search skills resume/application development interview skills and basic computer skills. Coordinate job search clubs for Veterans to improve in self-directed job search activities.

Utilization of clinical counseling techniques to assist Veterans in developing soft skills (e.g. personal hygiene cooperation with co-workers and following instructions) when employed to enhance job satisfaction and foster natural supports in the workplace.



Other duties as assigned.









Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am- 4:30pm
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 14242F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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.
• Education.
  • (1) A masters degree in rehabilitation counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a rehabilitation counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). If the applicants degree was granted prior to July 1 2017 the program must be accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. OR
  • (2) A masters degree in counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). OR
  • (3) A masters or doctoral degree in a related field of study with course content that 3 emphasized rehabilitation counseling disability therapy health employment wellness or human development from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by CHEA. OR
  • (4) Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC).
• Certification. Current full and unrestricted certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) from the CRCC to practice vocational rehabilitation counseling.
  • (1) Exceptions for Graduate RCs. (a) RC graduates from an approved counseling or rehabilitation counseling program who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and the additional degree requirements for CRC certification by the CRCC but do not possess the required certification may be appointed pending certification as a graduate RC on a full-time temporary appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(a)(1)(D). (b) Graduate RCs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. (c) Temporary graduate RC appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment.

1. Knowledge of human development and behavior medical psychosocial and vocational aspects of disability and differential influences of environmental factors to assist persons with disabilities in determining suitable vocational goals.
2. Knowledge of history philosophy and disability rights legislation in the field of rehabilitation to apply in the practice of rehabilitation counseling.
3. Ability to synthesize assessment and diagnosis information in conjunction with labor market trends and community/educational resources to develop an effective individual service delivery plan.
4. Knowledge of caseload management strategies to maximize an individuals independent functioning from assessment through provision of post-employment services.
5. Ability to employ person-centered job development strategies to facilitate successful job placement.
6. Knowledge of assessment tools and methods functional capacity evaluations and specific vocational preparation to evaluate transferrable skills residual capacities and needs for accommodations and assistive technology

1. Knowledge of physical and psychological disabilities appropriate accommodations and assistive technology principles to mitigate and reduce or eliminate barriers to integrate into the community.
2. Knowledge of counseling theory medical and psychiatric terminology and signs and symptomology of suicidal and homicidal ideations to communicate appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers in relation to the Veteran and/or his/her familys psychosocial needs and to recommend and help implement suitable treatment plans.
3. Ability to use evidence-based and evidence informed vocational and professional counseling practices to include individual placement and support (IPS) customized employment and supported employment models and motivational interviewing skills to promote self-awareness adjustment to disability enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community.
4. Knowledge of career development processes and job analysis methodology to determine essential functions of jobs worksite modifications and/or alternative vocational goals given the work history and residual functional capacities of individuals with disabilities.
5. Ability to administer and interpret a wide variety of assessment methods including transferrable skills and labor market analyses to evaluate for individual interests aptitudes and abilities and to identify suitable vocational goals for the development of an effective individual service delivery plan.
6. Knowledge of marketing strategies to develop collaborative partnerships/Memorandums of Agreement within VA and local business community to enhance employment and/or work opportunities.
7. Knowledge of military lifestyle specific factors and dynamics associated with Veterans particularly combat Veterans to assist those who are returning to community and community based-work.