Summary

This Peer Specialist position may only be filled with a Veteran that meets statutory requirements that are detailed in the qualifications section. THIS IS NOT A REMOTE/TELEWORK POSITION The Battle Creek VA Medical Center Network is hiring a Peer Specialists to serve in the Outpatient Mental Health Clinics in Benton Harbor MI.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 01/02/2026. 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 you possess one-year time-in-grade - as required by the announcement. In this instance - you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year 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 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 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 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 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 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 within inpatient and outpatient treatment programs - assisting physicians and other professional/non-professional personnel
• Outpatient Mental Health (OMH) Certified Peer Specialists in outpatient mental health model recovery for other veterans through lived experience and specialized training focused on enhancing individual recovery
• Through a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks - the peer specialist will support of veteran in articulating their goals for recovery - advocating for their own care - and building a personalized plan for achieving a well-balanced recovery
• Functions as an interdisciplinary team member to assist professional/non-professional personnel by receiving and sharing information regarding the Veteran's progress towards meeting recovery goals Provide ongoing individual and group support to assist Veterans with identifying the type of work that they prefer - career development goals - and additional training when necessary Assist Veterans in identifying their skills - strengths - supports - and resources needed to aid them in achieving their recovery and wellness goals
• 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
• Provides peer services in both individual and group formats to Veterans with mild to moderate symptoms of many different problems (e.g. - depression - anxiety - trauma - insomnia - grief - relationship problems)
• Provides short-term support - advocacy - and motivational coaching for Veterans who are typically near the start of their recovery journeys
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: MON-FRI 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m
• Compressed/Flexible: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• 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.