U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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PEER SPECIALIST
role at
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs .
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provided pay range This range is provided by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range $47,100.00/yr - $83,232.00/yr
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 - 01/12/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 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 a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position.
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 appointments covered by an interchange agreement).
Federal employees on a Career/Career-Conditional appointment.
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.
Preference will be given for Dayton VAMC employee applicants.
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.
GS‑7 and above: Similar specialized experience requirements with graduated expectations for independent work and responsibility for making recommendations to the interdisciplinary treatment team.
Education substitution: Provide transcripts with your application. GS‑6 requires six (6) months of graduate education or a 1‑year post‑bachelor’s degree internship, GS‑7 requires one (1) full year of graduate education, GS‑8 requires one and one‑half (1.5) years of graduate education, GS‑9 requires two (2) full years of graduate education or a master’s degree.
Duties
The Peer Specialist functions as an interdisciplinary team member assisting physicians and other professional/non‑professional personnel in the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH RRTP).
Perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks including assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery and personal wellness, learning, and practicing new skills, helping them monitor progress, assisting them in treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self‑help strategies, and supporting advocacy for services.
Participate in service‑training‑consultation‑and‑other professional activities, serve as a fully vested member of the multidisciplinary team.
Use personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tools to coach Veterans in self‑management of their health condition(s).
Observe behaviors indicating difficulty with treatment and complete appropriate documentation, reporting concerns to the team in a timely manner.
Teach Veterans how to identify and combat negative self‑talk, overcome fears, and provide a forum for sharing experiences.
Handle crisis interventions and emergent situations as necessary.
Inform Veterans about VA and community supports and resources.
Maintain knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches to wellness and recovery.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Work 50% of duties in the community, requiring use of a Government Services Administration (GSA) Vehicle.
Complete all required pre‑employment physicals and Training Management System (TMS) trainings to operate a GSA Vehicle.
Work schedule: Sunday through Thursday (Mon‑Thurs 11am‑7:30pm, Mon‑Thurs and Sun 8am‑4:30pm) or Tuesday through Saturday (Mon‑Thurs 11am‑7:30pm, Sat 8am‑4:30pm). Telework: Not authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Seniority level
Entry level
Employment type
Full‑time
Job function
Other
Industries
Government Administration
#J-18808-Ljbffr
PEER SPECIALIST
role at
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs .
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provided pay range This range is provided by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range $47,100.00/yr - $83,232.00/yr
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 - 01/12/2026. 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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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 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 a State as having satisfied relevant State requirements for a peer specialist position.
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 appointments covered by an interchange agreement).
Federal employees on a Career/Career-Conditional appointment.
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.
Preference will be given for Dayton VAMC employee applicants.
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.
GS‑7 and above: Similar specialized experience requirements with graduated expectations for independent work and responsibility for making recommendations to the interdisciplinary treatment team.
Education substitution: Provide transcripts with your application. GS‑6 requires six (6) months of graduate education or a 1‑year post‑bachelor’s degree internship, GS‑7 requires one (1) full year of graduate education, GS‑8 requires one and one‑half (1.5) years of graduate education, GS‑9 requires two (2) full years of graduate education or a master’s degree.
Duties
The Peer Specialist functions as an interdisciplinary team member assisting physicians and other professional/non‑professional personnel in the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MH RRTP).
Perform a variety of therapeutic and supportive tasks including assisting Veterans in articulating their goals for recovery and personal wellness, learning, and practicing new skills, helping them monitor progress, assisting them in treatment, modeling effective coping techniques and self‑help strategies, and supporting advocacy for services.
Participate in service‑training‑consultation‑and‑other professional activities, serve as a fully vested member of the multidisciplinary team.
Use personal recovery experiences to model coping techniques and recovery tools to coach Veterans in self‑management of their health condition(s).
Observe behaviors indicating difficulty with treatment and complete appropriate documentation, reporting concerns to the team in a timely manner.
Teach Veterans how to identify and combat negative self‑talk, overcome fears, and provide a forum for sharing experiences.
Handle crisis interventions and emergent situations as necessary.
Inform Veterans about VA and community supports and resources.
Maintain knowledge of current trends and developments in holistic approaches to wellness and recovery.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Work 50% of duties in the community, requiring use of a Government Services Administration (GSA) Vehicle.
Complete all required pre‑employment physicals and Training Management System (TMS) trainings to operate a GSA Vehicle.
Work schedule: Sunday through Thursday (Mon‑Thurs 11am‑7:30pm, Mon‑Thurs and Sun 8am‑4:30pm) or Tuesday through Saturday (Mon‑Thurs 11am‑7:30pm, Sat 8am‑4:30pm). Telework: Not authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Seniority level
Entry level
Employment type
Full‑time
Job function
Other
Industries
Government Administration
#J-18808-Ljbffr