The Rehabilitation Counselor is assigned to VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VHA VR) within the Syracuse VA Medical Center and is under the clinical and administrative supervision of the Vocational Rehabilitation Service Team Leader. Rehabilitation Counselors work with persons who experience functional impairments and disabilities associated with mental health, physical, and/or psychosocial challenges affecting employment, independent living, or personal adjustment.
Rehabilitation Counselors utilize various professional counseling and clinical modalities to promote and support optimal functioning, independence, personal adjustment, adaptation to disability, community reintegration, and recovery.
Rehabilitation Counselors work with an interdisciplinary team to provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling services to Veterans with disabilities, including assessment, counseling and case management services, development of rehabilitation plans, and assistance in attaining and maintaining employment, independent living, and attaining personal goals.
Job duties and responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to: Assists Veterans in Obtaining and Maintaining Employment. Utilizes evidence-informed and evidence-based modalities and professional counseling practices to aid Veterans with severe disabilities in achieving competitive employment and educational and independent living goals.
Provides a variety of professional rehabilitation counseling services such as personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions and case coordination services. Uses rehabilitation counseling theory, medical and psychiatric terminology, and symptomology and signs of suicidal and homicidal ideations to provide effective services.
Conduct biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, observation and interviews with Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories. Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment and their vocational implications.
Selects, administers, and interprets vocational and other psychometric instruments to evaluate abilities, transferrable skills, functional capacity, labor market analyses, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, and overall work resilience and synthesize into an interpretive data report.
Helps the Veteran determine vocational goals and objectives and develops Veteran-centered treatment plans utilizing Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based (SMART) goals and provides ongoing assessment of Veteran's progress. Consult and participate in meetings with interdisciplinary teams to enhance coordination of care, ensure medical clearance, and provide for optimal timing of further interventions.
Customizes vocational exploration activities to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals. Administers Measurement Based Care instrument to track progress throughout treatment and adjust goals and services as needed. Assesses the Veteran's training needs in order to meet their vocational goals and objectives. Assists Veterans in making contact with employers.
Supports Veterans in all work-related tasks, including but not limited to: transportation, on the job training, dealing with co-workers and supervisors, ongoing and follow along supports, and compliance with specifications of appropriate clinical support(s). Provides job development, customized employment, job carving, job coaching, job accommodation, advocacy, and adaptation services to both Veterans with severe disabilities and to educate and support employers.
Provide psychoeducational and/or psychotherapeutic groups to facilitate effective job search skills, employer-desired soft skills, work and life skills fostering independence and recovery. Collects and organizes data on Veterans served as required by the Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) and Behavioral Health Care Line Management. Completes various quality assurance and improvement activities to improve services provided.
Advises Veterans, particularly combat Veterans, who are returning to the community and transitioning from the military to civilian occupations within community-based work. Develop & Maintain Employer & Community Relationships Develops, maintains, and nurtures employer relationships. Networks in the local community with businesses and employers to locate suitable employment opportunities for Veterans served, monitors placements, and promotes successful work adjustment.
Establishes and maintains a liaison between the Medical Center and organizations within the community which provide competitive employment opportunities for Veterans. Devises solutions to reduce and/or eliminate barriers and meet Veterans' placement needs which may require substantial modification to environmental or functional demands within a work setting.
Coordinates with various resources to locate vocational training programs in the community that will be suitable from the standpoint of the particular needs and problems of the Veteran. Performs other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21N18-A/21M01-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
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/.
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $61722 – $97087/yr.
This position is eligible for telework.
Applications close on 2026-09-09.
This position is open under the 'Public' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
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