Veterans Health Administration Logo
Position Title
PEER SPECIALIST
Agency
Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBTA-12718088-25-CT Opens in new window
Open Period
Friday, March 28, 2025 to Friday, April 11, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Do you claim Veterans’ Preference? (limit characters)
2. Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
(limit characters)
3. Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
(limit characters)
4. Are you a veteran who separated from active duty under honorable conditions AND you:
  • have a rating by the Department of Veterans Affairs showing a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more; OR,
  • retired from active military service with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or more?
For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. You must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15.
(limit characters)
5. Are you the spouse of a current or former member of the Armed Forces? In accordance with revised 5 U.S.C. 3330d(b), the head of an agency may now appoint noncompetitively: the spouse of a member of the armed forces on active duty, the spouse of a 100 percent disabled member of the armed forces, or the spouse of a deceased member of the armed forces.

Active Duty Spouse
  • Includes all spouses of members of the armed forces on active duty.
  • Spouses do not have to relocate with active duty spouse.
Based on 100% Disability - As a military spouse, you may be eligible to be considered under this authority if:
  1. The military member was retired under Chapter 61 of title 10, United States Code with a 100% disability rating from the military; or
  2. Was released from active duty and has a disability rating of 100% from the Department of Veterans' Affairs or the military department.
Based on Service Member's Death
  • As the military spouse, you may be eligible if the military member was killed while on active duty (it does not have to be combat related), and you have not remarried.

To verify your eligibility, submit the following applicable documents:

  • Documentation verifying marriage: (i.e., marriage license, certificate or other government issued document certifying marriage to your military spouse or veteran.)
  • A copy of your spouses active-duty military orders.
  • DD-214: Certificate of release or discharge from active duty (Military spouses of 100% disabled separated or retired veterans and widows or widowers, who are not remarried, of military service members who were killed on active duty.)
  • DD 1300: Report of Casualty (Military spouses who are widows and widowers, and are not remarried, of military service members who were killed on active duty.)
  • Veterans Affairs Benefit Documentation of Deceased or Disabled Veteran. 

For more information, review USAJOBS Military Spouses resources

(limit characters)
6. Do you have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability that qualifies you for Schedule A Disability appointments?

For more information, review USAJOBS Individuals with Disabilities resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must provide appropriate medical documentation, i.e., a letter signed by a licensed medical professional or licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, certifying your documented disability and eligibility under Schedule A.
 
(limit characters)
7. Do you have prior Career or Career-Conditional Service with the Federal Government? If so, you may be eligible for reinstatement.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your separation Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your separation SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect:
  • career or career-conditional (Tenure field box 24. is 1 or 2); AND, 
  • your status in the competitive service (Position Occupied field box 34. is 1).
  • highest grade previously held (Grade or Level field box 18.)
(limit characters)
8. Are you currently employed as a civilian employee in the competitive service in a federal agency other than the Department of Veterans Affairs?
 
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form reflecting your permanent, competitive status. Your SF-50 (or equivalent personnel action form) must reflect:
  • career or career-conditional (Tenure field is 1 or 2); AND,
  • your status is in the competitive service (Position Occupied field is 1)
For more information visit here T5 Transfer
(limit characters)
9. Are you a veteran whose latest discharge was under honorable conditions spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran,  AND you:
  • served three or more years of continuous active duty service in the military (NOTE: if released shortly before completing a 3-year tour, you are considered to meet the eligibility); OR,
  • are entitled to veterans' preference; OR,
  • are eligible for derived preference as a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran?
For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of service which includes character of service. If applying as a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran eligible for derived preference you must provide acceptable documentation of your preference eligibility as outlined on the SF-15 form.  *Note current Federal employees must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements.
(limit characters)
10. Are you a veteran who separated from active duty under honorable conditions AND you:
  • recently separated (within the past 3 years); OR,
  • are a disabled veteran; OR,
  • served on active duty during a war, campaign or expedition; OR,
  • received an Armed Forces Service Medal?
If eligible, submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, provide the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15.

For more information, review USAJOBS Veterans resources.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, DD-214 (copy indicating character of service) or other proof of your service which includes character of service. If claiming disability preference, you must also submit the disability letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs or Armed Service and the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, Standard Form 15.
(limit characters)
11. Are you a Veterans Health Administration employee?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
(limit characters)
12. Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs within the VISN the position is located?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
(limit characters)
Preferences
1. Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?

If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
(limit characters)
Your resume must be submitted in English and include the following information for each job listed:
  • Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
  • Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.
Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages or encrypted, and digitally signed documents linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.
(limit characters)
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001). (limit characters)
Assessment 1
Thank you for your interest in this Peer Specialist position with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VISN 6), at the Charles George VA Medical Center. Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience is subject to verification by investigation. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience as proof to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task. (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
1. To be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must: 

Be a Veteran of the United States Armed Forces. 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.

It is REQUIRED that you provide a copy of your DD-214 with your application package.

Do you meet this Veteran requirement?
(limit characters)
2. To be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must:

Be a Veteran who is recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition (mental illness and/or substance use disorder).

Do you meet this Recovery requirement?
(limit characters)
3. To be eligible to receive appointment to a Peer Specialist position, a person must: 

Be a Veteran who has spent a minimum of 1 year in recovery from a mental health condition (mental illness and/or substance use disorder).

Do you meet this Length of Recovery requirement?
(limit characters)
4. Certification: It is required to 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.

You MUST provide a copy of your certification, with your application package. This is in addition to the certificate of completion from a school.

Do you meet this Certification requirement?
(limit characters)
5. Minimum Qualifications GS-06: To qualify for this position at the GS-06 level, you must have:
Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. Specialized experience is progressively responsible, 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. 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.

OR,

Education: 
Successfully completed six (6) months of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position.
Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.

OR,


Successfully completed one (1) year post-bachelors degree internship directly related to the work of this position.
(Must be fully documented within your resume)

Do you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the GS-06?
(limit characters)
6. Minimum Qualifications GS-07: To qualify for this position at the GS-07 level, you must have:
Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. Specialized experience is progressively responsible, 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, routine work has been completed with minimal supervisory oversight and review, however close supervision will have been provided for complex and unusual tasks.

OR,

Education: Successfully completed one (1) year of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position.
Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.

Do you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the GS-07?
(limit characters)
7. Minimum Qualifications GS-08: To qualify for this position at the GS-08 level, you must have:
Experience: At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. Specialized experience is progressively responsible, 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, 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.

OR,

Education: Successfully completed one and one half (1-1/2) years of graduate education in a degree program directly related to the work of this position.
Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.

Do you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the GS-08?
(limit characters)
8. Minimum Qualifications GS-09: To qualify for this position at the GS-09 level, you must have:
Experience: At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-8 level in the Federal Service closely related to the work of this position that has given me the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Peer Specialist. Specialized experience is progressively responsible, 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 situations.

OR,

Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. Graduate level education and/or degree program must be directly related to the work of this position.
Transcripts (unofficial) are required at time of application.

Do you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the GS-09?
(limit characters)
Please select the best response that most closely relates to your level of experience as it pertains to each task statement below.  All experience must be clearly documented in your resume in order to receive full and complete consideration.  Failure to fully document your specific level of experience clearly may result in your application not being referred to the hiring manager for further consideration.  Please don't take this lightly when submitting your application for consideration. (limit characters)
For each item, select the one response that most accurately describes your current level of experience and capability using the scale below. (limit characters)
9. Assist the Veteran in developing a network of contacts for information and developing natural supports. (limit characters)
10. Share personal recovery story as appropriate to induce hope and increase motivation. (limit characters)
11. Encourage Veterans to participate in recovery planning by: identifying personally important goals, developing a plan to reach such goals. (limit characters)
12. Facilitate peer support groups including WRAP, Veteran X/Veteran Hope and peer-to-peer support groups. (limit characters)
13. Conduct individual mentoring to encourage Veterans served to take a proactive role in their wellness. (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
14. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the information included in this questionnaire is true, correct, and provided in good faith. I understand that if I make an intentional false statement, or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, I may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C 1001); my eligibilities cancelled; I may be denied an appointment; or I may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 C.F.R. part 731). I understand that any information I give may be investigated and that responding "No" or providing no response to this item will result in my not being considered for this position. (limit characters)
RESUME REMINDER- Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications. (limit characters)
MERIT PROMOTION DOCUMENTATION REMINDER: If you are a current or former Federal employee, you must provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notice of Personnel Action." The SF-50 must identify your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). If you have previously held a higher grade and are applying based on that grade, you must provide a copy of the SF-50 showing you held the higher grade IN ADDITION to your last or most recent SF-50 indicating proof of status. (limit characters)
TRANSCRIPT REMINDER: If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) you must submit a copy of your transcripts (official or unofficial) with your application. Be sure your name, name of the school attended, dates attended, and any degree conferred, or certificate issued is stated on the transcript. (limit characters)