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 05/12/2026. 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-10 position - you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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
• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to the basic requirements - you must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal Service - that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Lead Peer Specialist
• Qualifying specialized experience includes post-personal mental health recovery experience as a mentor providing support to others in mental health and/or addiction recovery - a recovery advocate directly involved with consumers of mental health services - 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 cases
• You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Problem Solving Communication Teaches Others Leadership Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience - including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. - Peace Corps - AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. - professional - philanthropic
• religions
• spiritual - community - student - social)
• Volunteer work helps build critical competencies - knowledge - and skills - and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment
• You will receive credit for all qualifying experience - including volunteer experience
• Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week
• Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities
• Applicants 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 employment
• Physical Requirements: The applicant must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands - exercise patience - and control emotions - with reasonable accommodation if necessary - without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others
• The work is primarily sedentary
• Typically - the employee sits to do the work
• There may be some walking - standing - bending - carrying of light items (such as books - papers) - and accessing transportation
• The work may require occasional use of Department of Veterans' Affairs-approved behavioral management techniques with Veterans who present a danger to self or others
• Veterans demonstrate varying levels of wellness - recovery - and symptoms
• This position must be equipped to be flexible and accept that work areas are often noisy - irregular - unpredictable - and stressful
• Work is performed in a wide range of settings - including the Medical Center - group or family homes - community-based outpatient settings - community organizations - or in transport vehicles (public or government).

Duties

• The position leads a team comprised of Peer Specialists and may lead Without Compensation (WOC) peer support employees - within a common supervisory structure - to provide services - integrate processes - and meet goals of peer support service programming at the facility
• As the leader of a team of peer support staff - the position facilitates - coordinates - coaches - and problem-solves with the members of the peer support staff team
• The position also acts as the recognized liaison between the peer support staff team and the supervisor
• The work of the position enables the peer support provider team as a whole to deliver improved quality - quantity - and timely services to Veterans
• Duties include - but are not limited to the following: Ensures that the organization's strategic plan - mission - vision - and values are communicated to the peer support staff they lead and integrated into the team's strategies - goals - objectives - work plans - products - and services
• Articulates and communicates to the peer support staff that they lead the assignments - projects - problems to be solved - actionable events - milestones - and/or program issues under review - as well as the deadlines and time frames for completion
• The position communicates the supervisor's instructions to the team
• Coaches the peer support staff they lead in the selection and application of appropriate problem-solving methods and techniques - provides advice on work methods - practices - and procedures - and assists the team and/or individual members in identifying the parameters of viable solutions
• Maintains awareness of the status and progress of peer support staff's work and makes day-to-day adjustments to ensure their work aligns with program goals and processes
• Leads the team in identifying - distributing - and balancing workload and tasks in accordance with established workflow - skill level - and/or occupational specialization
• makes adjustments to accomplish the workload in accordance with established priorities to ensure timely accomplishment of assigned team tasks
• and ensures that each team member has an integral role in developing the final team products and services
• Identifies training needs and assists in the development of training for peer specialists and Veterans seeking to become peer specialists
• Serves as a coach - facilitator - and/or negotiator in coordinating team initiatives and in consensus-building activities among team members
• Maintains working knowledge of treatments and services available for the purpose of appropriate referrals
• Represents the team in dealings with the supervisor for the purpose of obtaining resources (e.g. - computer hardware and software - use of overtime or compensatory time) - and securing needed information or decisions from the supervisor on major work problems and issues that arise
• 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 on 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 effectively utilize them in the recovery and wellness process
• Maintains a working knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches to 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#: Lead Peer Specialist/PD99338S