Veteran Peer Support Specialist

Summary: The Veteran Peer Support Specialist provides non-clinical peer support services to eligible Veterans and Service members participating in the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. This position uses lived experience, shared understanding, and relationship-based support to help participants engage in services, reduce isolation, strengthen protective factors, and follow through with individualized service plans and referrals. The Veteran Peer Support Specialist serves as a trusted source of encouragement and support for individuals who may be experiencing psychosocial stressors, suicide risk factors, or difficulty accessing and remaining engaged with needed services.

Under 38 CFR §78.70 and the VA Fox Program Guide, a Fox Peer Support Specialist generally must be:

• A Veteran.
• A Veteran with lived experience related to mental health recovery, including someone who has recovered or is recovering from a mental health condition.
• Trained in peer support.
• Able to use similar lived experiences related to mental health or suicide to support participants.
• Certified as a peer support specialist by either:
  • a qualifying nonprofit peer-support training/certification entity, or
  • a state under that state's peer-support certification requirements. Veterans Affairs

VA's qualification standard also states that the Veteran should have spent at least one year in personal recovery from a mental health condition.

Education & Training:

High school diploma or equivalent required. Associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or relevant human services experience preferred. Must be a Veteran with discharge status other than dishonorable, bad conduct, or court-martial discharge. Experience working with Veterans, military families, individuals with behavioral health challenges, or vulnerable populations preferred. Experience in peer support, mentoring, advocacy, outreach, case coordination, or related human service work preferred. Ability to communicate effectively, establish rapport, and maintain appropriate professional boundaries required. Must complete all required agency and program training, including suicide prevention-related training, confidentiality training, documentation training, safety training, and any required peer support or grant-related training.

Physical Demands:

Work may involve sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching, speaking, hearing, and use of office equipment and computers. Position may require local travel, community-based work, and home visits when appropriate and authorized. Must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Other Requirements:

Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation preferred or required depending on program assignment. Must be able to pass all background checks, credentialing, and employment requirements applicable to the position. Must maintain appropriate professional conduct and boundaries at all times. Must be able to work effectively with individuals experiencing crisis, trauma, social instability, or behavioral health-related challenges while remaining within the non-clinical scope of the role.