Peer Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Saginaw, MI

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Peer Specialist works as a member of an interdisciplinary team in a rehabilitation treatment program, supporting Veterans in recovery and personal wellness. Drawing on personal recovery experience, the specialist helps Veterans identify goals, learn and practice skills, monitor progress, participate in treatment, use coping and self-help strategies, and advocate for effective services. The position serves Veterans and requires the appointee to meet statutory Veteran, recovery, and certification requirements.

The position is part of a multi-grade career ladder. Promotion to the full-performance level may occur without further competition when regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is not authorized, and the position is not virtual. Work may take place at a medical center, group or family homes, community-based outpatient settings, community organizations, or in transport vehicles. The work is primarily sedentary, with occasional light or moderate physical demands, and can involve noisy, irregular, unpredictable, or stressful settings.

Requirements

• Must be a Veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition, including mental illness and/or substance use disorder, and have at least one year of recovery.
• Must hold a full, current, and unrestricted peer specialist certification from a qualifying not-for-profit training entity or state.
• Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• For GS-6 through GS-9, must meet the applicable grade-level qualification through specialized experience or directly related graduate education; requirements include one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade for each grade level, or the stated education substitution for the grade sought.
• Specialized experience must involve post-personal-recovery work supporting others in mental health and/or addiction recovery, such as peer mentoring, recovery advocacy, psychiatric therapy aide work, or equivalent in-person support.
• Current Federal employees and certain former Federal employees applying at a higher grade must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and, if applicable, meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Must complete required background/security investigation and online onboarding, provide acceptable identification, and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve the applicable one-year probationary or two-year trial period.
• Must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary work, with occasional moderate demands, exercise patience and emotional control, and perform duties without endangering health or safety, with reasonable accommodation if necessary.
• Must provide copies of DD-214 and peer specialist certification with the application; transcripts are required when education is used to qualify.

Responsibilities

• Participate in VA health care services, training, consultation, and other professional activities as a member of the multidisciplinary team.
• Use personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tools and coach Veterans in skills for managing their health conditions and pursuing personal wellness.
• Observe behaviors that may indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment, document observations, and report concerns to the treatment team promptly.
• Use individual and group meetings to teach Veterans to identify and challenge negative self-talk and overcome fears by providing a forum to share experiences.
• Handle crisis interventions and other emergent situations when necessary, including situations without specific instructions.
• Inform Veterans about VA and community supports and resources and how to use them in recovery and wellness.
• Maintain knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic wellness and recovery approaches by reading relevant materials.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package available to the employee and family, subject to position eligibility.
• VA may credit job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service toward the annual leave accrual rate, if requested and approved before appointment; this is not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed