"In accordance with the VA MISSION Act of 2018 and Public Law 115-271, in order to meet the needs of female Veterans, the Office of Personnel Management has authorized this recruitment as gender specific, and therefore, restricted to female applicants." To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/27/2022. BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PEER SUPPORT APPRENTICES, GS-102-5: As a Peer Support Apprentice hired to become a certified Peer Specialist, a Veteran must have spent a minimum of 1 year in recovery from a mental health condition. In all cases, Peer Support Apprentices must actively pursue becoming certified as required to serve as a Peer Specialist by 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13)(B). At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the Peer Support Apprentice with the written requirements for becoming certified, the date by which he or she must become certified, and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to become certified by the prescribed date will result in removal from this GS-102 occupation and may result in termination of employment BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR PEER SPECIALISTS, GS-102-6/9: Statutory Requirement- Section 405 of Public Law 110-387, as codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13), established that to be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must: Be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition; and Be certified by - (a) a not-for-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for a peer specialist position; or (b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position. Length of Experience as a Consumer of Mental Health Recovery Services. Veterans eligible under 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(13) must have spent a minimum of 1 year in personal recovery from a mental health condition. "In accordance with the VA MISSION Act of 2018 and Public Law 115-271, in order to meet the needs of female Veterans, the Office of Personnel Management has authorized this recruitment as gender specific, and therefore, restricted to female applicants." Time-In-Grade Requirement: 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Grade Requirements: Specialized experience: Includes being progressively responsible, post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing counseling to support peers in mental health and/or addiction recovery, a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services, a psychiatric therapy aide, or equivalent work involving in-person communication to support others in mental health recovery. GS-05: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. OR Education: 4 years above high school. OR Combination: A combination of education and experience listed above. GS-06: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. OR Education: Successfully completed six (6) months of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application. GS-07: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. OR Education: Successfully completed one (1) year of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application. GS-08: Specialized Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. OR Education: Successfully completed one and one half (1-1/2) years of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application. GS-09: Specialized Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. OR Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Recovery Principles Peer Support Practices Cultural Competence Communication Holistic approach to services Managing Crisis and Emergency Situations Recovery and Personal Wellness Coach Community Integration/Reintegration Group Facilitation Advocacy Workplace Skills Professional Development 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. 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee sits to do the work. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items (such as books, papers), and accessing transportation. The work may require occasional use of Department of Veteran's Affairs approved behavioral management techniques with Veterans who present a danger to self or others. 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/. ["The position is in Primary Care. The Peer Specialist performs a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery, learning and practicing new skills, helping them monitor their progress, assisting them in their treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self help strategies based on the peer specialist's own recovery experience, and supporting them in advocating for themselves to obtain effective services. The position functions as a role model by exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills and serves as an advocate and provides information and peer support for Veterans in outpatient, inpatient, and/or community settings. Duties include but are not limited to: The position 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. In this capacity, the position completes assignments based on comprehensive peer support knowledge and recognition by others of demonstrated superior skill and proven sound judgment. The position works with Veterans with very complex mental illnesses and challenging situations that require effective communication and decision-making skills. The position serves as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for effective wellness and holistic recovery-based services that aid Veterans in daily living. The position orients new Veterans to the programs' services, hours, locations, staff, and other pertinent information necessary for the Veterans to understand how to effectively utilize the program services. The position assists Veterans to articulate personal recovery goals through the use of individual or group meetings. During these meetings, the position assists Veterans in identifying their skills, strengths, supports, and resources needed to aid them in achieving their recovery goals. The position collaborates with Veterans to develop and implement a personal wellness and recovery plan. The position assists Veterans in determining the steps needed to achieve their self-directed recovery goals and wellness. The position utilizes recovery tools to coach Veterans on relevant skills needed for self-management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellness. The position 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. The position also contributes to the development of an effective discharge plan. The position observes behaviors that might indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment (e.g., missed assessment appointments, failure to attend or maintain abstinence, risk to self or others, disruptive behavior), completes appropriate documentation, and reports concerns to the treatment team in a timely manner. 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: 8:00AM to 4:30PM (Monday through Friday)\nCompressed/Flexible: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nPosition Description/PD#: Peer Specialist/PDS0020A, S0019A, S0018A, S0017A, S0016A,\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]