The VA Spark M Matsunaga Medical Center is currently recruiting for a full time Peer Specialist position with the Mental Health Service. The position functions as an interdisciplinary team member, assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/19/2022. 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 unless they qualify for a non-competitive appointment such as Schedule A, VRA or 30% or more disabled. 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. (MUST UPLOAD A COPY OF ALL APPLICABLE NON-AWARD SF-50) 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. The following basic requirements that must be met: Statutory Requirements. Section 405 of Public Law 110-387, as codified in 38 USC 7402(b)(13), established that to be eligible to receive appointment as a Peer Specialist position, a person must: (1) be a veteran* who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition; (2) (GS-6 and higher) be certified as a Peer Specialist by (a) a non-profit entity engaged in peer specialist training as having met such criteria as the Secretary shall establish for peer specialist position (ONLY NON-PROFIT DBSA OR RI CERTIFICATES ARE ACCEPTED);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 USC 7402(b)(13) must have spent a minimum of 1 year in personal recovery from a mental health condition. *Definition of a Veteran: Per 38 U.S.C. 101(2) the term "Veteran" means a person who service in the active military, naval or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable (or submits a certification that he or she is expected to be discharged or released from active duty in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date of the certification's submission). You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: is 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. To qualify at the GS-5 level: you must be a Veteran who has 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. To qualify at the GS-6 level: you must have 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 particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. At this level you are able to work from specific instructions for the performance of routine duties and detailed instructions and training in performance of the routine functions. Your work has been closely monitored including having work checked in progress and reviewing completed work for accuracy, adequacy, and adherence to instructions or procedures. OR you must have 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; OR you must have successfully completed a one (1) year post-bachelor's degree internship directly related to the work of this position (must be fully documented within your resume). To qualify for this position at the GS-7 level: you must have 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 particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. At this level, routine work has been completed with minimal supervisory oversight and review, however close supervision will have been provided for complex and unusual tasks. OR, you must have 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-8 level: you must have 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 particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. At this level you have the ability to work with general instructions for the performance of routine duties and detailed instructions and/or training in performance of the non-routine functions and special assignments. Non-routine/novel work will have been reviewed by spot checking and after completion to evaluate the adequacy of methods, procedures, results, ability to solve new and changing problems, etc.; OR you must have 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level: you must have 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 particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Support Specialist. At this level work will have been performed with considerable independence and you are responsible for making recommendations to the interdisciplinary treatment team that can be relied on for soundness of judgment and maturity of insight on problem cases. OR, you must have 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. Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)Information ManagementKnowledge Management 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. ["Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: The position functions as an interdisciplinary team member, assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program. Peer specialists perform 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. The position assists Veterans in treatment, based on the principles of recovery, wellness, and resiliency, by promoting self-determination, personal responsibility, and the empowerment inherent in self-directed recovery. By inspiring hope that recovery, wellness, and resiliency are achievable goals, the position can assist and empower Veterans, who are diagnosed with mental illnesses and/or co-occurring disorders, as well as other chronic illnesses or injuries, to achieve their personal recovery goals. The position performs a wide range of tasks to assist Veterans in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery and wellness process. Perform other duties as assigned. 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: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nPosition Description/PD#: Peer Specialist/PD00064-A, PD00065-A, PD00066-A, PD00067-A, and PD00068-A\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]