Peer Specialist - Women's Clinic

Summary This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Fayetteville NC Coastal Health Care System - Fayetteville - NC. This Peer Specialist position may only be filled with a Veteran that meets statutory requirements that are detailed in the qualifications section. Qualifications To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 10/28/2026. 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-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. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Basic Requirements FOR PEER SPECIALISTS aStatutory RequirementsSection 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: (1) be a veteran who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health conditionand (2) 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 positionor (b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist positionbLength of Experience in RecoveryMust have at least one (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 lifestylelives independentlyis employed or volunteers significant time approximating at least a part-time employment schedulehas meaningful relationships with family members and friendsand is socially involved in the community through clubs - hobby groups - church - civic organizations or Veteran organizations in which the individual provides a service to othersNOTE: You MUST provide copies of your DD-214 and Peer Specialist Certification - with your application packageENGLISH 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 EnglishYou must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this positionMINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS-06: One 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 recoveryYour work has been closely monitored including having work checked in progress and reviewing completed work for accuracy - adequacy - and adherence to instructions or proceduresGS-07: One 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 recoveryAt this level - routine work has been completed with minimal supervisory oversight and review - however close supervision will have been provided for complex and unusual tasksGS-08: One 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 recoveryAt 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 assignmentsNon-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 - etcGS-09: One 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 recoveryAt 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-OR- EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: (Transcripts are required with your application package) GS-06: Successful completion Six (6) months of graduate education or a 1-year post-bachelor's degree internship meets the requirements for GS-6. Only education that is directly related to the work of the position is creditableGS-07: Successful completion One (1) full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. Only education that is directly related to the work of the position is creditableGS-08: Successful completion One and one/half (1 1⁄2) years of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-8. Only education that is directly related to the work of the position is creditableGS-09: Successful completion Two (2) full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. Only education that is directly related to the work of the position is creditableNOTE: One (1) full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per weekPart-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activitiesApplicants 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 employmentReference: VA Handbook 5005/59For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/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/. Duties The Peer Specialist functions as an interdisciplinary team member - assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment programPeer specialists perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks that include assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery and personal wellness - 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 servicesThis position will serve as a community-based peer specialist within the local VA facility catchment areaThe working environment may include providing peer support services in places such as Veterans' homes - prisons - jails - treatment courts - shelters - tent encampments - street outreach - etcDuties include but not are limited: 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 teamUses personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tolls to coach Veterans to relevant skills need for self management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellnessObserves 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 mannerUses ongoing individual and group meetings to teach Veterans how to identify and combat negative self-talk and overcome fears by providing a forum that allows Veteran to share their experiencesAs necessary - handles crisis interventions for Veterans and addresses other emergent situations without the benefit of specific instructionsInforms Veterans about VA and community supports and resources - including how to effectively utilize them in the recovery and wellness processMaintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches in wellness and recovery by reading books - journals - and other relevant materialsPosition requires operation of a motor vehicle or access to public transportation to perform assigned dutiesAccompanies Veterans to appointments as needed - whether medical - housing - or other treatment plan goal appointments - either through agency vehicle or public transportationAssists Veterans to identify resources and problem solve how to overcome barriers so that the Veterans can independently address transportation and other personal needsSubsequent background checks may be required if treating Veterans in an institutional setting Performs other related duties as assignedPromotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory - qualification - and performance requirements are metSelection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance levelWork Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework - Ad HocTelework eligibility will be discussed during the interview processVirtual: This is not a virtual positionPosition Description/PD#: Peer Specialist - Women's Clinic/PD99332S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized