Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees.

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) is an onsite residential program for Veterans with mental health issues, substance use disorders, post trauma stress disorder, homelessness and unemployment. The MHRRTP Chief has full responsibility and accountability for: planning, developing, organizing and operating of the clinical programs and the general operation of the Central Iowa Domiciliary. Responsible for coordinating staffing and all treatment services provided. Supervises non-nursing employees assigned to the program while coordinating with the nursing supervisors to assure that all staff work as a cooperative team in the provision of service to Veterans. The incumbent is responsible for a fund control point assigned to the program. Manages and controls the use of data related to the programs regarding day-to-day functioning and uses data for performance improvement.

• Administers information and analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of service provided to patients. Develops, implements, and evaluates clinical guidelines and protocols to establish appropriate utilization of services.
• Supervises a group of employees performing work at various GS levels (e.g. social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, readjustment counseling therapists, domiciliary rehabilitation technicians, psychology technicians, peer supports, etc. Coordinates with supervisors of other disciplines such as nursing, chaplain, recreation, police, psychology and medical services to ensure treatment service effectiveness and safety within the program.
• Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff. Observes workers' performance; demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques. Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance. Resolves informal complaints and grievances. Develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary. Advises and counsels workers related to work and administrative matters.
• Recommends new programs for ongoing needs. Conducts regularly scheduled meetings and facilitates in-service training programs for the clinical staff and Domiciliary.
• Works directly with the Director, Mental Health Service Line regarding the administrative and technical decisions involved in the coordination of the Clinical Programming and Domiciliary.
• This is a clinical leadership position. The incumbent is a consultative member to different therapeutic teams, contributing expertise in evaluating and developing team treatment plans for Veterans. The position requires close coordination with medical center physicians, psychiatrists, physician extenders, social workers, psychologists, nurses and other technical/professional staff to ensure proper evaluation procedures, innovative treatment options, cost effective services and a continuum of care for referred Veterans.
• Handles all requests for information about the program by management, VISN, and/or headquarters. Reports significant events and/or program changes to Director, Residential Rehab VACO-OMHS. Represents the Domiciliary on a number of medical center committees and tasks forces. Develops cooperative work relationships with civic and service organizations, both locally and throughout the state.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30 am-4:00 pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Ad Hoc Only telework may be available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000

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.
• 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

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: Applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency requirement for positions in this occupation. To be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, or to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA, applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education: must meet ONE of the below
  1. 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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology).
  2. Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization 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.
  3. Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internships: must meet ONE of the below
  1. 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.
  2. 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;
  3. VHA facilities that offered full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96-151 (pre1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement;
  4. 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(e) 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 Determinations:

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:
  1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines.
  2. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
  3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups.
  4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
  5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
  6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
  7. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.

*NOTE: Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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.