Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

About the role

As a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services - Altoona District Office, you play a key part in helping individuals overcome barriers to employment. This role offers a rewarding opportunity to support personal growth and career success. Your efforts will help people build confidence and achieve their goals. Be part of an agency that promotes opportunity, inclusion, and positive change.

This position focuses on supporting individuals with disabilities as they work toward meaningful and sustainable employment. You will guide customers through each step of the vocational rehabilitation process and ensure they receive the services they need. As a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, you will perform the following duties:

• Develop Referral Sources: Build relationships with community partners to identify potential customers
• Conduct Interviews: Gather information about customer needs, backgrounds, and goals
• Determine Eligibility: Review medical, vocational, and psychosocial information to assess rehabilitation potential
• Coordinate Services: Arrange evaluations, authorize services, and track progress through completion
• Support Employment Goals: Counsel customers, develop plans, and assist with job placement activities
• Maintain Records: Update case notes, manage online files, and prepare required documentation

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information

• Full-time employment, 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday
• Work hours are typically 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with a 30-minute lunch. Work schedule may be negotiable within a 7.5 hour work day. The position is eligible for AWS (alternate work schedule).
• This position will serve Blair and Bedford Counties.
• Telework: You may have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time, upon successful completion of the training period. In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection and work from an approved location inside Pennsylvania. If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office in Altoona or an approved office in the caseload territory. The ability to telework is subject to change at any time. Additional details may be provided during the interview.
• Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $60,538.00 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements

• Successful completion of the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern program or the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Trainee program (Commonwealth job title or equivalent Federal Government job title, as determined by the Office of Administration); or
• A master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation, mental health, special education, social work, human services, psychology, or a closely related field; or
• Possession of an active Certified Rehabilitation Counselor certificate issued by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification; or
• Proof of approval to sit for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Certified Rehabilitation Counselor certification examination, provided by the CRCC, and completion of a master’s degree.
• Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within three months of graduating with a qualifying degree.

Other Requirements

• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements

• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.
• Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.

How to Apply

• Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
• If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
• Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.
• Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.
• All application materials and interview responses must reflect the applicant’s own experience, qualifications, and work. Applicants may use generative AI tools for preparation purposes only. Use of AI to misrepresent or falsify information, or to assist during interviews, is not permitted. Review the Guidance for Generative AI Tools & Job Seekers for additional information.

Veterans

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

Additional information

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
• your score may be lower than deserved.
• you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.