I am currently stationed OCONUS in Germany and am wishing to PCS stateside to be closer to family. What options do I have for new orders?

Whatever your Career Counselor told you is correct. If your branch manager hasn't placed you on assignment yet, they're not going to place you on assignment.

You can request a duty station in February and reenlist in March, go see your Career Counselor

Slightly confused by your question. It sounds like you want to stay in the military and PCS at your DEROS.

If so, then you just need to extend your contract so you can complete 12 months in CONUS upon return from overseas. If you don't, then you'll be involuntarily extended at your current assignment and have your DEROS adjusted to two days prior to your ETS (See AR 614-30, chapter 6-1f)*.

The 'slightly confused' on my part is because if you have less than one year on contract after your projected DEROS, your losing command/duty station was required to counsel you before you left and your current command was required to do so no later than July 2022 (12 months prior to your DEROS). Are you saying nobody ever went over all this with you?

Your personnel folks and leadership should be having a discussion with you right now because if you don't extend/reenlist six months prior to your DEROS (i.e., now - Jan 2023), your tour will be involuntarily extended (to two days prior to your ETS).
------------------------------------------------------------
* AR 614-30 (Overseas Service) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN6427_AR614-30_WEB_Final.pdf

There is no option. The best you can do is extend service if the option is available, so that you can PCS. As for closer to home that all depends on where they live, your MOS, and an available position.