Summary

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 05/11/2026. 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. 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 that you possess one year of time-in-grade - as required by the announcement. In this instance - you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year of 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.

Basic Requirements:

• FOR PEER SPECIALISTS a
• Statutory Requirements
• Section 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 condition
• and (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 position
• or (b) a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position
• b
• 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
• IMPORTANT NOTICE: Veteran is defined as a person who served in the active military - naval - air - or space service - and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable
• 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
• NOTE: You MUST provide copies of your DD-214 and Peer Specialist Certification with your application package
• ENGLISH 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 English
• You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position
• MINIMUM GRADE LEVEL QUALIFICATIONS GS-6: In addition to the basic requirements - Candidates must have 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: In addition to the basic requirements - Candidates must have 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: In addition to the basic requirements - Candidates must have 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 the 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: In addition to the basic requirements - Candidates must have 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
• -OR- EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: (Transcripts are required with your application package) GS-6: Successful completion of 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 creditable
• GS-7: Successful completion of 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 creditable
• GS-8: Successful completion of one and one/half (1 ) years of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-8. Only education that is directly related to the work of the position is creditable
• GS-9: Successful completion of 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 creditable.

Duties

• The Peer Specialist functions as an interdisciplinary team member - assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel in a rehabilitation treatment program
• Peer 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 services
• Duties include - but are not limited to the following: 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
• Uses personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tools to coach Veterans to the relevant skills needed for self-management of their health condition(s) and pursuit of their personal wellness
• Observes 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 manner
• Uses 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 Veterans to share their experiences
• As necessary - handles crisis interventions for Veterans and addresses other emergent situations without the benefit of specific instructions
• Informs Veterans about VA and community supports and resources - including how to utilize them in the recovery and wellness process effectively
• Maintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches in wellness and recovery by reading books - journals - and other relevant materials
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: M-F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm or as determined by the supervisor
• Compressed/Flexible: This may be authorized at the supervisor's discretion
• Telework: This position may be authorized for telework
• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Peer Specialist/PD99322S Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder
• The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory - qualification - and performance requirements are met
• Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.