Clarification from the agency

All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.

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The Service Chief of Mental Health, VA Central California Health Care System, (VACCHCS), leads the organization toward achieving stated VHA and VISN program goals, in support of the VHA Mental Health Strategic Plan & in concert with VHA & VISN Strategic and Performance Measurement plans.

Mental Health treatment programs deliver specialized, complex, & highly professional services that significantly affect the overall health care provided to Veterans. In support thereof, the Service Chief, is responsible for the development, coordination, review and evaluation of MH programs, policies and procedures and assumes the authority to ensure implementation, as well as to maintain and improve MH operations. Provides oversight of mental health administrative and clinical programmatic resources and monitoring of outcomes using a data-driven quality assurance process.

Administrative Responsibilities (80%):

• Decisions are made with very wide latitude and independent judgment.
• Participates as chair of MH Executive Committee (MHEC) in making decisions about MH services.
• Applies knowledge of state of the art, evidence-based practice of mental health treatments and organized treatment programs including a familiarity with all of the disciplines that provide mental health treatment services.
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills and business acumen to effectively and efficiently communicate timely information/reports to a broad variety of audiences including the highest levels of management.
• Supervisory responsibility for subordinates (Deputy Chief of Mental Health/Psychology Executive, Outpatient Medical Director, Section Chief of Acute Psychiatric Services, SUDP Medical Director, Supervisory Program Analyst) and is responsible for all professional, management, and administrative aspects of MH services.
• Evaluates partnerships for other services including but not limited to Primary Care, Geriatrics and Extended Care, Whole Health, and medical services that have an embedded MH provider or may refer to MH services, using relevant VA statutes and regulations and takes action to improve identified deficiencies.
• Responsible for all administrative actions associated with MH including tracking and evaluating staff's workload and productivity.
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with internal and external customers and stakeholders including Lemoore Naval Air Station (NAS), Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health, and academic affiliates including UCSF-Fresno Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatry residency program staff.
• As an advanced practiced Social Worker, they must master and utilize a range of specialized interventions and provide consultation to colleagues, renders professional opinions based on experience and expertise, develops new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention, and incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment.
• Attends National, VISN, and medical center meetings as appropriate.
• Accepts when able additional and special assignments that are necessary to meet the needs and goals of VACCHCS in serving Veterans.
• Collaborates in the performance improvement processes and complies with performance measures as required by the VA for these specific programs.
• Participates in activities that obtain customer satisfaction feedback from customers and stakeholders (internal and external to the VA) and works to enhance services as needed.

• Provides direct care, Social Work services, and triage/case management, as assigned.
• Provides clinical consultation to various disciplines and levels of training, as time permits
• Provides a full range clinical services using the most appropriate case management and therapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
• Performs care consultations, screenings, & evaluations.
• Provides Advanced Practice level interventions, including expert clinical psychosocial and case management services in a specialized area of practice to Veterans who tend to have serious and severe crises, may lack any familial and community support, may be poor self-monitors, may frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or may have major deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

THIS IS A MULTI-DISCIPLINED JOB ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 1 VACANCY. Refer to specific job announcement for each occupational series.
1. Physician (VM-0602-15)
2. Senior Psychologist (GS-0180-15)
3. Senior Social Worker (GS-0185-14)
4. Nurse Executive (VN-0610-IV)

Basic Requirements: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following:

• Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: Master's degree in Social Work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the school of social work is fully accredited. Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in Social Work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/ (Licensure Exception does not apply at the GS-11 grade level or above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. NOTE: Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the 5 advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application.
• 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.
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the Basic Requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the Basic Requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Note: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the social work occupational series 0185, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker.

• Experience/Education
  • One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The Chief, Social Work Service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. May have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.
• Licensure/Certification
  • The chief social worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions.
  • Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice.
  • Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections.
  • Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
  • Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements.
  • Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure.
• Assignment:
  • For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. At the GS-14 grade level, size, scope, significance and impact are greater than the GS-13 grade level. The chief social worker responsibility includes management of large, complex, social work services within the organization. The chief social worker is the highest level professional position at the facility with responsibility for the professional practice of all facility social workers and provision of social work services. The chief social worker provides supervision to social work service, with multiple sections or programs across the health care delivery system as well as an assistant chief and supervisors. Social work service includes staff members of different grades, as well as multiple disciplines, various treatment sites and at locations close to and distant from the medical center. The chief social worker has full responsibility for managing and supervising all aspects of social work service operations including clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision of the service.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.