Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

• Coordinating the inter/multidisciplinary Threat Assessment Teams including the DBC and the ETAT. The WVPP Program Manager demonstrates experience in leading diverse and interdisciplinary teams.
• Serves as the Chair of the DBC and ETAT, thus is responsible for maintaining proficiency in current evidence-based behavioral threat assessment and management practice and overseeing the day to day business of the inter/multidisciplinary committee that reviews incidents of Patient-Generated Disruptive Behaviors and Visitor-Generated Disruptive Behaviors.
• Conducting and delegating behavioral threat assessments to inform recommendations for individualized risk mitigation strategies; consulting with VA Providers, clinical staff and DBC and ETAT members; informing and providing risk relevant clinical interventions in cases of disruptive or violent behavior history; providing and overseeing education to staff; providing timely and accurate responses to action items and recommendations made by the DBC; and ensuring ongoing training of team members in evidence- based threat assessment and threat management practice.
• Provides quarterly updates to the Executive Leadership Board and submits WVPP-related work products directly to the Chief of Staff and/or the Facility Director. As a senior clinician, the Program Manager is responsible for overseeing the day to day business of the inter/multidisciplinary committee that reviews incidents of Employee-Generated Disruptive Behaviors. The ETAT represents a strategy for assessing and proactively addressing employee-generated violence.
• Oversees the functions of ETAT, including: obtaining incident reports and delegating cases to team members, assembling all available information regarding any alleged disruptive or threatening employee behavior; determining whether the reported disruptive behavior(s) pose a safety threat to individuals and/or the workplace; and if so, making risk mitigation recommendations to the facility Director to manage the safety threat posed by the reported behavior(s).
• Reports ETAT-related activities and work products directly to the Facility Director and the Executive Leadership Team. The Program Manager works closely with representatives from local bargaining units, Human Resources staff members, VA Police Officers, representatives from the facility's Safety Office, and Attorney's from the Office of Regional counsel.
• Provides quarterly updates to the VACOHS Executive Leadership Committee. The Program Manager provides oversight of the PMDBB program. The incumbent will oversee, and may assist in, educating staff in recognizing signs and factors of potential danger, strategies for de-escalation, and identifying resources that can directly address individual needs to help improve the quality of veteran care and reduce overall risk. The Program Manager collaborates with leadership to ensure facility policies are compliant with The Joint Commission, Office of Inspector General, and OSHA requirements regarding workplace violence prevention training.
• Serves as a Facility Administrator for the DBRS. DBRS is a secure and facility managed web-based data collection site of disruptive behavior events occurring at VHA facilities. The Program Manager is responsible for collecting, quickly communicating, and managing disruptive incident information at the VACOHS main clinic and four CBOCs.
• Responsible for responding to FOIA and Congressional requests and inquiries directed to the DBC, ETAT, PMDB program, and/or the WVPP. The incumbent also takes a lead role in the annual submission of the annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment (WBRA) which provides data for each fiscal year to the National WVPP Office.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 4:30PM
Telework: Ad-Hoc: Per Agency Need.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 93080-0 / 93077-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
  • Social Workers:
    • Education. Have a 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. 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.
    • 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.
  • Psychologists:
    • Education. Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR
      • (Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a re- specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re- specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions:
        • The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and,
        • the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. [OR
      • Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND
    • Internships: Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR
      • New VHA psychology internship programs that are in the process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement, provided that such programs were sanctioned by the VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern; OR
      • VHA facilities that offered full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96- 151 (pre- 1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement; OR
      • Applicants who completed an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed may be considered eligible for hire only if they are currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification.) OR
      • Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally- accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidate's doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicant's official transcript, the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program.
    • Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

Grade Requirements:

Psychologist - Psychology Program Manager, GS-14

• Experience. At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines.
  • Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
  • Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups.
  • Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
  • Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
  • Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
  • Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Social Worker - Program Coordinator, GS-13

• Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidates 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. Individuals assigned as social worker program coordinator 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 coordinating and implementing one or more specialty program(s), across the facility.
  • Skill in local policy and practice development, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program as prescribed by the program handbook or national directive.
  • Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).
  • Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care.
  • Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties including assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; and selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action.
  • Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.
  • Knowledge of organizational structure and impact on program operations

Preferred Experience: Management of a facility wide program, evidence-based assessment of violence risk factors.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services

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.