Peer Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Redlands, CA

13d • Onsite

About The Position

The position will serve in a developmental capacity to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of routine and non-routine assignments found at the full-performance level. During this developmental assignment, the full performance range and level of key functions will not be fully delegated to the position. 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 consultation with the supervisor, the position completes assignments based on peer support service knowledge, 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 program's 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 and wellness 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 and wellness goals. The position assists Veterans in determining the steps needed to achieve their self-directed recovery and wellness goals. 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 that is based upon their understanding of the Veteran's goals and interests. Utilizing their personal recovery experience, the position will: Teach and role model the value of every individual's recovery experience. Model effective coping techniques, holistic wellness, and self-help strategies. Assist in obtaining services that suit the individual's personal recovery and wellness needs. Assist Veterans in exploring their interests and options for making improvements in life functioning areas such as housing, employment, relationships, and community engagement. Inform Veterans about VA and community supports and resources, including how to effectively utilize them in the recovery and wellness process. Assist Veterans in developing empowerment skills, identifying strengths, and combating stigma through self-advocacy. This is accomplished through regular individual or group meetings and using role playing/modeling techniques. Serves as liaison to community-based organizations to develop and/or foster Veterans' community integration, natural supports, and self-reliant strategies. May perform outreach activities to establish community partnerships that will provide health care services for the Veterans in the community and inform Veterans of the availability of those health care services and other benefits. Assist Veterans in building social skills in the community that enhance community reintegration, using techniques such as role playing and social skills training. Other Duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Must have a full, current, and unrestricted peer specialist certification to meet this qualification requirement for employment in VHA as a peer specialist.
• Must be a Veteran (See Statutory Requirements below).
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 level.
• For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06 level.
• For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 level.
• For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08 level.
• 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.
• 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.
• Statutory Requirements: Must be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition; and be certified by 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 a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position.
• Length of Experience in Recovery: must have at least 1 year of recovery from a mental health condition (mental illness and/or substance use disorder).
• Successful recovery is exemplified by one who manages symptoms of illness and pursues a healthy lifestyle; lives independently; is employed or volunteers significant time approximating at least a part-time employment schedule; has meaningful relationships with family members and friends; and is socially involved in the community through clubs, hobby groups, church, civic organizations or Veteran organizations in which the individual provides a service to others.
• Restricted to VETERANS - See IMPORTANT NOTICE.
• Open to current, permanent employees of the VA (i.e. T38, T38 Hybrid, and VCS employees on excepted appts covered by an interchange agreement); Federal employees on a Career/Career-Conditional appt.; Former competitive civil service employees eligible for reinstatement; Veterans eligible under VEOA, VRA, and 30% DAV; Those eligible under the Employment Program for People with Disabilities; and those eligible for CTAP/ICTAP.
• You MUST provide copies of your DD-214 and Peer Specialist Certification, with your application package.
• Must be proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• GS-6: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower graded level, which involved 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. 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.
• GS-7: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower graded level, which involved 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. 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.
• GS-8: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower graded level, which involved 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. 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.
• GS-9: At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower graded level, which involved 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. 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 situations.
• A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
• Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment.
• If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.

Nice To Haves

• State-certified peer specialists who wish to relocate will need to check their current state and the new state to verify certification requirements. This should be completed before applying to peer specialist positions in a different state.
• Verification must be made that the peer specialist possesses a valid certification before being appointment to the position.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Completes assignments based on peer support service knowledge, skill and proven sound judgment.
• Works with Veterans with very complex mental illnesses and challenging situations that require effective communication and decision-making skills.
• Serves as a recovery agent by providing and advocating for effective wellness and holistic, recovery-based services that aid Veterans in daily living.
• Orients new Veterans to the program's services, hours, locations, staff, and other pertinent information necessary for the Veterans to understand how to effectively utilize the program services.
• Assists Veterans to articulate personal recovery and wellness goals through the use of individual or group meetings.
• Assists Veterans in identifying their skills, strengths, supports, and resources needed to aid them in achieving their recovery and wellness goals.
• Assists Veterans in determining the steps needed to achieve their self-directed recovery and wellness goals.
• Utilizes recovery tools to coach Veterans on relevant skills needed for self-management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellness.
• 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.
• Contributes to the development of an effective discharge plan that is based upon their understanding of the Veteran's goals and interests.
• Teaches and role models the value of every individual's recovery experience.
• Models effective coping techniques, holistic wellness, and self-help strategies.
• Assists in obtaining services that suit the individual's personal recovery and wellness needs.
• Assists Veterans in exploring their interests and options for making improvements in life functioning areas such as housing, employment, relationships, and community engagement.
• Informs Veterans about VA and community supports and resources, including how to effectively utilize them in the recovery and wellness process.
• Assists Veterans in developing empowerment skills, identifying strengths, and combating stigma through self-advocacy.
• Serves as liaison to community-based organizations to develop and/or foster Veterans' community integration, natural supports, and self-reliant strategies.
• May perform outreach activities to establish community partnerships that will provide health care services for the Veterans in the community and inform Veterans of the availability of those health care services and other benefits.
• Assists Veterans in building social skills in the community that enhance community reintegration, using techniques such as role playing and social skills training.
• Other Duties as assigned.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.
• Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

What This Job Offers

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