Rehabilitation Technician

Full Job Description

This position is assigned to the Assistant Chief of Staff of Mental Health Service Line providing clinical services to Veterans in the VA SORCC Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs (DRRTP).

The incumbent provides short term, rehabilitation services to Veterans, family members, and groups of Veterans in the VA SORCC DRRTP.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet Time-in-Grade, Specialized Experience and/or Education requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 04/17/2026.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.

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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment.

GS-5: You must have served 52 weeks at the GS-3. GS-6: You must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. GS-7: You must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6.

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.

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.

Individual Occupational Requirement: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below.

This experience must have involved the observation of and assistance in the application of techniques relating to behavior, capacities, traits, interests, and activities of either humans or, under laboratory conditions, animals.

Experience may have been gained in connection with a program of research or direct services in psychology that gave a practical understanding of some of the principles, methods, and techniques of psychology needed to assist professional psychologists.

GS-5: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assisting with the responsibility for a specific group of residents during the work shift.

Assisting with directing and supporting patients in the implementation of treatment goals and providing input for treatment and discharge plans.

Assists with facilitating daily individual and group sessions to achieve the patient goals of highest level of function and rehabilitation.

Helping to monitor patient progress through all phases of the rehabilitation programs with individual contact.

Assisting with the evaluation and assessment of patients who may be at risk to hurt themselves or others and notifies other staff and providers as needed.

Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of subjects such as psychology, statistics, or other directly related subjects.

Note: Transcripts required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement.

One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Note: Transcripts required.

GS-6: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assisting with directing and supporting patients in the implementation of treatment goals and providing input for treatment and discharge plans.

Assists with facilitating daily individual and group sessions to achieve the patient goals of highest level of function and rehabilitation.

Helping to monitor patient progress through all phases of the rehabilitation programs with individual contact.

Assisting with the evaluation and assessment of patients who may be at risk to hurt themselves or others and notifies other staff and providers as needed.

Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week.

Education: There is no education substitutes for the GS-6 level.

GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Independently directing and supporting patients in the implementation of treatment goals and providing input for treatment and discharge plans.

Independently facilitates daily individual and group sessions to achieve the patient goals of highest level of function and rehabilitation.

Independently monitors patient progress through all phases of the rehabilitation programs with individual contact.

Independently evaluates and assesses patients who may be at risk to hurt themselves or others and notifies other staff and providers as needed.

Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and year ending dates AND hours worked per week.

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one full year of graduate education in a field such as psychology, statistics, or other directly related subjects.

Note: Transcripts required.

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/.

Major Duties:

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder.

The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-7, however a selection can be made at any of the following grade levels: GS-05, GS-06 or GS-07.

At the GS-05 grade level, you will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-07.

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following: He/she is responsible for the care and comfort of all Domiciliary Veterans and acts as Domiciliary first-line clinician.

Accepts responsibility for a specific group of residents during the work shift, and reports individual progress or problems to the interdisciplinary team.

Acts on recommendations by the team and accepts responsibility for working with the individual Veterans to bring about a reconciliation of issues.

In conjunction with the treatment team, the incumbent exercises judgment to identify veteran treatment goals, support treatment plan, and obtain other pertinent clinical information.

The incumbent directs and supports the veteran in the implementation of treatment goals and provides input into the treatment and discharge plans.

Provides consultation to and leadership of the therapeutic community groups and resident committees, where appropriate.

The incumbent facilities daily individual and group sessions, utilizing sophisticated skills to achieve the veteran s goals of highest level of function and rehabilitation through personal growth; accepting responsibility for the behavior and recovery; gaining insight into their medical, psychosocial, and mental health problems; and clarifying alternatives for positive independence in the rehabilitation of the Veteran.

A variety of techniques will be used including, but not limited to: Utilizing and teaching communication, relapse prevention, and problem solving techniques with individuals and groups; role play and ongoing small group discussion will be utilized to identify common problems in daily living as well as methods of coping.

Facilitating ongoing individual group sessions to teach Veterans evidence based interventions aimed at identifying and combating negative cognitions and/or maladaptive coping strategies.

Providing counseling follow-up of veteran case load, utilizing accepted standards for individual counseling techniques concerned with psychosocial recovery and rehabilitation.

The incumbent interacts with interdisciplinary treatment teams on treatment plan development, implementation and progress review.

He/she provides pertinent information during treatment team planning meetings and assists Veterans in determining the steps he/she needs to take in order to achieve these goals.

Responds to emergencies and has thorough knowledge of Domiciliary and SORCC operations to assume temporary control of situations and areas.

Completes critical incident management and provides crisis intervention and other emergency veteran situations with specific instructions; evaluates and assesses Veterans how may be at risk to hurt themselves or others.

Notifies other staff and providers as needed.

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: 5:30 pm - 4:00 am PST; Sunday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Saturday; 5:30 am - 4:00 pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Rehabilitation Technician/PD90333A, PD90334A, and PD90335A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Physical and Work Requirements: Work requires regular and recurring periods of standing, sitting, walking, lifting, moving equipment and furniture and other items along with documentation and use of computers.

Work will be normally performed inside the residential treatment environment at VA SORCC but may involve visits to a variety of community settings.

Veterans may present with active psychiatric problems, cognitive dysfunctions, mixed responses to evaluations, and various levels of participation.

The employee may be subject to assaultive attack from assaultive Veterans.