Vocational Rehab Counselor

About the role

The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position within the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services at the Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) oversees the provision of services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The role involves facilitating partnerships that enhance the quality of life for these individuals and providing continuous support throughout their lives.

Responsibilities

• Assist clients in exploring career choices and counsel on vocational goals and service choices.
• Provide service and support to promote self-sufficiency and identify and reduce barriers.
• Develop, assess, and monitor progress of individualized service plans with clients.
• Authorize and approve expenditure of state and federal funds for individualized services and goods for clients.
• Conduct, interpret, and review various evaluation (medical, psychological, assistive technology, benefits, etc.) results with clients with disabilities in making career choices.
• Determine VR eligibility and severity based on federal and state regulations.
• Manage and monitor services provided by multiple providers and vendors.
• Determine appropriate referrals to other agencies and community partners.
• Establish and educate referral sources about VR and the referral process.

Requirements

To be considered for this role, candidates should have:

• A minimum of 1 year of demonstrated paid or unpaid experience consisting of: Direct work with individuals with disabilities in a setting such as an independent living center, direct service or advocacy activities that provide such individual with experience and skills in working with individuals with disabilities, direct experience as an employer, as a small business owner or operator, or in self-employment, or other experience in human resources, recruitment, or experience in supervising employees, training, or other activities that provide experience in competitive integrated employment environment.
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or closely related field.
• Able to articulate or demonstrate awareness of cultural diversity, medical and psychological aspects of disability, counseling theories, assessment tools, job development and placement, Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disability Act (ADA), Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and other state and federal programs, Department of Workforce Development programs, rehabilitation technology, economic and labor market trends, community organizations, financial aid, problem-solving to evaluate and recommend services, flexibility and handling multiple tasks, emphasis with clients on career needs, interpretation of psychological/medical evaluation reports and medical terminology, familiarity with Assistive Technology and how to access AT services, effective communication skills.

Qualifications

Individuals should have the ability to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Skills

Knowledge of:

• Counseling theories
• Assessment tools
• Job development and placement
• Rehabilitation Act
• Americans with Disability Act (ADA)
• Social Security
• Medicaid, Medicare and other state and federal programs
• Department of Workforce Development programs
• Rehabilitation technology
• Economic and labor market trends
• Community organizations
• Financial aid

Benefits

The State of Indiana offers a comprehensive benefit package for part-time employees including:

• Paid vacation, personal and sick time off
• Competitive leave policies covering a variety of employee needs
• 12 company paid holidays, 14 on election years
• 75 hours of paid New Parent Leave and up to eight weeks of paid Childbirth Recovery Leave for eligible mothers
• Free Parking
• Free LinkedIn Learning

Pay

The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position includes a Counselor Trainee period and upon successful completion, promotion to Counselor with an increase in salary. The minimum starting salary for the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Trainee is $1820.00 bi-weekly / equates to an annual salary of $47,320.00; upon successful completion of the Counselor Trainee program, the salary will increase to $2047.00 bi-weekly / $53,222.00 annually.

Schedule

This position is exempt from overtime compensation for additional work hours which may be required to complete essential functions or other assigned work.