Your steps to apply
Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
Veterans Benefits Administration · Muskogee, Oklahoma and 11 more · Closes in 62 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
The job is open to the public, but you must be a U.S. citizen, national, or person who owes allegiance to the U.S. The agency clarified that this means all U.S. citizens.
Experience: For GS-09, you need 1 year of experience at least equal to GS-07 in rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development, plus knowledge of career development theory. For GS-11, you need 1 year at least equal to GS-09 in the same areas, plus skills working with people with multiple disabilities, homebound people, or people with acute or chronic mental disabilities. You must also meet the Individual Occupational Requirement, which asks for education in vocational rehabilitation or a related counseling field, or matching vocational rehabilitation or counseling experience.
Education: Major study in vocational rehabilitation, vocational or educational counseling, or a related field can qualify you. For GS-09, a master's degree (or 2 full years of graduate study toward one) can replace experience. For GS-11, a doctoral degree (or 3 full years of graduate study toward one) can replace experience. You can also combine experience with graduate education, and education must come from a school accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting body.
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes in 62 days (January 4, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
Yes. This is a standing register with cut-off dates, including a first cut-off on November 23, 2026, and referral lists are made about every three weeks until the jobs are filled.
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: You must first meet the minimum qualifications, and applicants who do not fully show the required experience or education in their resume are not referred. Referred applicants are rated on USA Hire competencies and agency competencies, using questionnaire answers, online assessments (about 2 hours), and possibly a work sample or interview, then placed in Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified categories.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Your resume must show hours per week, inclusive employment dates, and experience level, or the experience will not be credited.
- If you use education to qualify, include a transcript with your application; unofficial transcripts must show school, courses, grades, and degree date.
- Do not copy duties or qualification text from the announcement into your resume; the agency will not count it as proof of experience.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.