The Peer Specialist position provides support to the National Center for Warrior Independence at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System in Los Angeles, California.
The Peer Specialist performs a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks including assisting peers in articulating their goals for recovery, learning and practicing new skills, helping monitor their progress, assisting in their treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and strategies based on the specialist's own recovery experience.
Duties may include but are not limited to: 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. Uses personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tolls to coach Veterans to relevant skills need for self-management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellness.
Serves as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for effective wellness and holistic, recovery-based services that aid Veterans in daily living. Orients new Veterans to the program's services, hours, locations, staff, and other pertinent information necessary for the Veterans to understand how to effectively utilize the program services. Guides Veterans to articulate personal recovery and wellness goals through the use of individual or group meetings.
Utilizes recovery tools to coach Veterans on relevant skills needed for self-management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellness. Monitors progress and assists with the execution of the recovery and wellness plan, makes timely reports of progress, and presents new areas of concern to the treatment team. Contributes to the development of an effective discharge plan that is based upon their understanding of the Veteran's goals and interests.
Observes behaviors that might indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment (e.g., missed appointments, failure to 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 Veterans to share their experiences. Maintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches in wellness and recovery by reading books, journals, and other relevant materials.
Must be able to operate a government furnished vehicle for the purpose of assisting Veterans with obtaining and retaining housing. Performs other related duties as assigned. ***Announcement may close earlier than October 16th, 2026 depending on applicant count.*** 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: Various tours of duty based on the needs of the service. Compressed/Flexible: May be available based on the needs of the service. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Peer Specialist/PD99324S, PD99325S, PD99326S, and PD99327S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Lindsay.Tillery@va.gov · 8164913680
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $52938 – $93549/yr.
Applications close on 2026-10-16.
This position is open under the 'Fed Transition' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
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