Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Buffalo Regional Benefit Office Job

Salary: $61,722 - $116,362 per year.

To qualify, you must be a current, permanent VA employee or a CTAP-eligible former VA employee.

• Unseal only to existing, permanent VA employees and CTAP-eligible former VA employees.
• Time-in-grade: For GS-09, 52 weeks at GS-07; for GS-11, 52 weeks at GS-09; for GS-12, 52 weeks at GS-11.
• Present VBA employees requesting reassignment must hold at least GS-09 with promotion potential to GS-12.
• Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation offerings, clinical rehabilitation counseling, counseling psychology, mental health counseling, profession counseling, or social work from an accredited institution.
• Supervised internship in rehabilitation counseling or case management, OR one year of post-master's background in straight delivery of vocational rehabilitation solutions to people with disabilities.
• Grandfathering provision: VRCs employed in VBA on July 28, 2023, are considered to have met qualification needs for their held grade.
• GS-11: One year of specialized know-how equivalent to GS-09, or 3 years of progressively higher graduate education or a Ph.D. In rehabilitation counseling or counseling psychology.
• GS-12: One year of post-graduate expert vocational rehabilitation counseling expertise equivalent to GS-11.
• Specialized background must involve managing vocational rehabilitation counseling or case management for persons with many disabilities (mental health, physical, cognitive, visual/auditory, substance abuse).
• Education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Run early rehabilitation evaluations and entitlement assessments.

• Develop rehabilitation schemes, objectives, and objectives to aid veterans locate employment and expand independence.
• Offer problem-solving and adjustment counseling.
• Manage cases, such as coordination of all rehabilitation offerings and case documentation.
• Administer and interpret vocational testing when needed.
• Supply employer consultation, employment development, and placement solutions.
• Hand over career counseling and vocational planning and assessment.
• Combine figures from diagnostic tests and medical records to assess strengths, weaknesses, capabilities, and interests.

Must be a U.S. Citizen.

• Selective Solution Registration required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• May want to serve a 1-year probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Must wrap up an online onboarding process and provide acceptable forms of identification (REAL ID compliant after May 7, 2025).
• Telework eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only.
• Position isn’t remote.

Finish federal benefits package such as health, dental, vision, life insurance, and retirement.

• Paid leave (annual, sick, and federal holidays).
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Access to the Thrift Savings Strategy (TSP) with employer matching.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on position type and function schedule.

Your application will be evaluated set on your resume, supporting documents, responses to the submission questionnaire, and any needed assessments.

• You’ll be assessed on competencies covering Attention to Element, Buyer Offering, Flexibility, Interpersonal Competencies, Therapy and Counseling, Writing, Oral Communication, and Technical Competence.
• Overstating qualifications or cheating on assessments may result in removal from consideration.
• If referred, you may be asked to hand in additional data, finalize a perform sample, or participate in an meeting.
• Referral certificates are issued after review, and referred applicants are notified and may be contacted for an meeting.

Resume narrow to 2 pages, detailing specialized experience and competencies, with start/finish dates (month/year) and Federal grade levels if suitable.

• Transcript reflecting your master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling or related field, showing coursework, credits, graduation date, and degree.
• Most current NON-AWARD SF-50 showing post title, series, grade, step, pay, tenure, and category of solution.
• SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade (e.g., Promotion, Appointment) to verify time-in-grade.
• Additional SF-50 if most new SF-50 is less than one year old (to show one-year time-in-grade).
• Most latest Performance Appraisal (VA Form
• optional but accepted).
• Award SF-50s (optional).
• CTAP documentation if relevant: RIF observe, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal.

To put in, unseal the official submission portal and with your the formal submission portal/Login.gov account. Wrap up the federal submission questionnaire and attach all called for documents (resume, transcripts, SF-50s, etc.). Send in your finalize submission package by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on 07/27/2026. After submission, you may require to complete USA Take on Assessments.

• You’ll obtain a distinct assessment connection via email. Fix aside about two hours for the assessments. You can track your submission status in the authorized submission portal. Ensure your resume is no longer than 2 pages (as needed after September 27, 2025).

This announcement is unseal only to existing, permanent VA employees and CTAP-eligible former VA employees.

• One role is assigned to the VetSuccess On Campus (VSOC) program at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.
• One post is assigned to the Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES) at Fort Drum, NY.
• Telework is eligible for situational (ad hoc) telework only; this isn’t a remote role.
• Agency contact: Renee Trimble, Phone: 919-286-0411 X5519, Email: [email protected].
• Address: Buffalo Regional Benefit Office, 130 S. Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14202.
• If you’re selected, you may need to assist a 1-year probationary period.
• All required documents must be handed in by the closing date; delayed or missing documents won’t be accepted.
• Inspect your the formal submission portal account and email regularly for updates, including assessment invitations and meeting requests.

The Veterans Gains Administration (VBA) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs responsible for administering upsides for veterans, service participants, and their families. The Buffalo Regional Benefit Office serves veterans in western New York and surrounding areas. This office is hiring Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors to support the VetSuccess On Campus plan at Syracuse University and the Integrated Disability Evaluation System at Fort Drum. These roles are critical to helping disabled veterans attain employment and independence.

Buffalo Regional Benefit Office employment opportunities

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