Clarification from the agency

Current permanent VA Employees must upload a 2026 SF50. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The Program Manager (Division Director) functions as a liaison to the directors of Mental Health Care Line Divisions for general mental health issues. The incumbent ensures orientation to service rotation for the program's trainees (fellows, residents, interns and students) and ensures that outpatient mental health practitioners show effectiveness in teaching, monitoring and coordinating educational activities, and complies with necessary trainee supervision requirements.

The Program Manager of the Outpatient Mental Health Division is expected to remain privileged and practicing in his/her specialty field. This position is a clinical and management position that supports this mission through administrative leadership, direct patient care, and oversight of Outpatient Mental Health clinical, educational, and research activities. In addition to observance of federal, national, and local regulatory policy and accreditation requirements governing this Medical Center, this position encompasses responsibilities overseen by the Director of the Outpatient Mental Health Division, in partnership with his/her Clinical and Administrative staff.

Duties and Responsibilities included but not limited to:

• Program planning and development, determination of area of program need, controlling of quality and quantity of service required for meeting the need. Program initiative and direction within the limitation of available staff and budget. Concurrent evaluation, modification and/or elimination of activities as necessary to improve and maintain the best possible Mental Health programs for the hospital.
• Provision of leadership, guidance and consultation directed toward staff development and motivation to higher standards of professional performance. Holds regular staff meetings to plan programs, design procedures and methods. Serves as consultant/participant in orientation programs staff development and in-service training. Promotes staff participation in the Staff Development Program and further improvement of professional skills by ensuring staff attendance and participation in Intra-Department of Veterans Affairs meetings, in local, state and national meetings of professional organizations and in seminar/study courses.
• Responsible for administering of personnel policies and procedures for all staff, interviewing, selecting and evaluating staff, determining space and equipment needs, authorizing expenditures from all assigned fiscal control points, preparing or directing preparation of regular statistical, narrative and special reports. Monitoring of division records and correspondence, advising and guiding staff toward the solution of unusual problems upon requests.
• Develops and maintains an awareness of available resources, and makes recommendations to the MHCL Director regarding needs, distribution or redistribution of these resources. Develops, implements, monitors, and adjusts plans to effectively and cost-efficiently accomplish the mission of the MHCL within budgetary constraints. Provides leadership and guidance in determining the resource needs of all organizational elements, distributing initial resource allocations, and adjusting resource allocations as dictated by a change in the program needs. Incumbent develops and implements systems and procedures for improving cost-effectiveness and productivity. Is delegated the authority for overtime expenditures within the division.
• Serves as a member of the Mental Health Care Line's Senior Management Team. In this capacity, the incumbent serves on various VISN, Medical Center and community Task Force and committees.
• Develops both long and short-range policies and plans for the division by coordinating the administration needs of the division. Is responsible for making and implementing decisions directly affecting patient care and has the final line decision making authority under the MHCL Director. Incumbent must adapt the principles, practices, processes, and techniques common to any situation to the specialized requirements of the division.

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.

• 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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: The basic requirements for employment as a LPMHC are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. §7402(b)(11). To qualify for appointment as a LPMHC all applicants must

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).

English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Education. Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or a related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Examples of related mental health counseling fields include but are not limited to Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling. CACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Additional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling.

Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. NOTE: It is VHA policy that a LPMHC who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager), GS-13

Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. The experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency.

Assignments. LPMHCs manage the daily operations of multiple programs, develop and implement program policies and procedures, or serve as chief or principal counselor to a number of LPHMCs. They are responsible for oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and monitoring of outcomes. They prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national leadership. Decisions may affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. They may be responsible for the program's budget. They may also supervise employees assigned to the program.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-12 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 1. Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management. 2. Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process. 3. Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided. 4. Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs.

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

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.