SENIOR VOCATIONAL REHAB COUNSELOR - 48004886

About the role

This position performs advanced-level work under the limited supervision of the Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor in Area 7 Unit 21C West Palm Beach, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The role is responsible for providing independent professional vocational rehabilitation counseling to identified individuals with disabilities, which may include those identified as potentially eligible Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) youth customers ages 14-21, to support the overall goal of employment. This includes providing and coordinating complex services and providing technical assistance to vocational rehabilitation internal and external stakeholders and requires accessing client information, maintaining case records, tracking open authorizations and other case-specific activities and reviewing caseload data regularly.

Responsibilities

• Maintain active and meaningful engagement throughout the life of the VR case.
• Meet with the individual to review referral and complete the application and Initial Interview for VR services in compliance with federal regulations and/or document a good faith effort to meet the requirements.
• Assess medical, psychological, and vocational information to determine eligibility for services.
• Accurately determine and document eligibility for VR Services at the earliest point possible, in compliance with federal regulations, unless an extension is completed per policy.
• Provide information to assist individuals with disabilities in making informed choices, consistent with federal requirements, regarding services, service providers and employment outcomes.
• Provide support and services to assist VR customers in obtaining successful and quality employment outcomes.
• Authorize, coordinate and/or negotiate services leading to successful employment outcome.
• Actively collaborate with VR Customers regarding plan development.
• Engage customers timely in their planning process to identify an appropriate vocational goal and services to develop an IPE, in compliance with the federal regulations, unless an extension of time is completed per policy.
• Document the comprehensive assessment in compliance with policy requirements.
• Provide reasonable and necessary planned services and demonstrate quality standards in implementation of the customer's Individualized Plan for Employment.
• Manage resources to ensure all activities, including programmatic counseling and financial, are tracked and occur according to state and federal regulations and policies.
• Devise job placement opportunities through job placement activities, including job analysis, job development, and labor market information to assist individuals with disabilities to obtain appropriate employment outcomes.
• Develop employer contacts and serve as liaison with employers.
• Utilize the resources of community rehabilitation providers in securing appropriate job placement for eligible individuals with disabilities.
• Coordinate or collaborate with others in other placement activities.
• Provide support to guide customers appropriately to and through the credential attainment process to support quality employment outcomes.
• Provide timely follow up and monitoring in employment phase leading to successful outcomes.
• Document and track post-employment support and services.
• Close cases in alignment with policy.
• Manage VR Services and apply sound decision making and best value purchasing principles to customer purchases.
• Ensure that all purchases align with purchasing policies.
• Track and communicate regulations, laws, and rules specific to financial and payment timelines and requirements like period of performance, open authorizations, allowable expenditures, appropriate use of coding for authorizations, etc.
• Collaborate with community partners to assure appropriate use of available resources.
• Participate in training experiences designed to enhance professional competency in vocational rehabilitation.
• Travel may be required to perform assigned duties.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Attainment of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study reasonably related to vocational rehabilitation, such as: psychology, disability studies, business administration, human resources, special education, supported employment, customized employment, economics, vocational rehabilitation counseling, or another field that reasonably prepares individuals to work with consumers and employers.
• Two (2) years of experience consisting of: direct work with individuals with disabilities in a setting such as an independent living center; direct service for advocacy activities that provide such individuals with experience working with individuals with disabilities; direct experience as an employer; direct experience as a small business owner or operator; direct experience in self-employment; experience in human resources; experience in recruitment; experience in supervising employees; experience in training; or experience in other activities that provide experience in competitive integrated employment environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Applicants who have both professional and educational experience.
• Applicants who have direct experience with case management and the ability to manage high-volume caseload efficiently.
• Applicants who complete application information and hire requirements listed in the advertisement to completion.
• Attainment of a Master's or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study such as: business administration, vocational rehabilitation counseling, law, psychology, disability studies, human resources, special education, management, public administration, or another field that reasonably provides confidence in the employment sector, in a disability field, or in both business-related and rehabilitation-related fields.

Skills

• Knowledge of the theories and practices in vocational rehabilitation guidance and counseling.
• Knowledge of medical and psychological aspects of disability groups.
• Knowledge of employment resources and vocational rehabilitation resources.
• Knowledge of program requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Skilled in interviewing techniques.
• Skilled in administering tests and analyzing results.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to be productive under tight timeframes, balance multiple and competing priorities and maintain goal-directed behavior.
• Ability to work and perform under stressful conditions.
• Ability to demonstrate consideration of the workload concerns of others and must not negatively affect productivity and morale of the unit.
• Ability to work independently and perform tasks and responsibilities with limited guidance and direction.
• Ability to gather, analyze and organize information into logical format for presentation in reports, documents, and other written materials.
• Ability to provide counseling and guidance in career planning.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office software, such as Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word.
• Ability to provide excellent customer service.
• Ability to maintain work area in an organized and clean manner.
• Ability to understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to use and analyze information.

Pay

$47,840.00 Annually / $3,986.67 Monthly. Candidates are typically hired at the minimum salary.