Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs (Agency - VHA, VBA, NCA) employees. First consideration will be given to Tampa VA Healthcare System (Facility) employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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*****Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be offered to highly qualified candidate(s).*****

This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until August 11, 2026, or positions have been filled. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be May 18, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) Program Coordinator provides mental health services under the Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service (MH&BSS) at the James A. Haley Veterans' Administration Hospital (JAHVAH) in Tampa, FL. These mental health services include programmatic responsibility for assessment, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment/aftercare planning, case management, and individual/group therapy to 30 complex care Veterans with the JAHVAH. The incumbent may also assist with coordinating the work assignments of three Case Managers which requires advanced clinical experience, case management, team building, program development, and clinic program coordination skills. The position also requires the incumbent to assist the Program Section Chief and Associate Chief of Staff MHBSS in developing, implementing, and refining services offered.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Management responsibilities include assisting the assigned Program Manager with ongoing development of program missions, goals, objectives, timelines, target populations to be served and admission criteria consistent with requirements from the VA Central Office (VACO).
• Assisting the Program Manager with physical plant planning and evaluation to include safety, therapeutic and regulatory considerations are also part of the required duties.
• Ongoing review of proposed program staffing patterns and respective position descriptions to best meet programmatic needs and requirements as well as interviewing/recommending new staff for final consideration for selection to the Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health and Behavioral Science Services (ACOS MHBSS) and Human Resources (HR).
• Maintaining primary responsibility for the development and management of the clinical programming schedule.
• Complying with all HR policies; development of procedures and trial implementation of administrative and financial processes that support program services and staff productivity; development of forms/routing system to improve efficiency of patient flow from referral to completion of care; implementation of best practices/Evidence Based Psychotherapy (EBP) protocols.
• Assisting in the development of community awareness and educational materials, forums, presentations and contacts.
• Providing a full range of assessment/treatment services to assigned patients that would include comprehensive review of current mental illness symptoms, advanced psychosocial case and care management, discharge planning, health care coordination advocacy and referral, community referrals, and the rendering of a decision regarding the presenting diagnosis with coordination of the treatment plan including recommendations for continued treatment or therapy for a variety of different mental disorders that could include particularly complex or unusually difficult patients.
• Educating patients, family members, and significant others.
• Developing, implementing, and documenting the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders.
• Consulting with professional staff within Tampa VAMC and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients.
• Assuming complete professional responsibility for clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.
• Assisting the Program Manager in training other staff in procedures for documenting clinical program milestones (admission date, length of stay, discharge dates, treatment and discharge plan completion, etc.)., encounters, interfacing with DSS, HAS, DAAS, Coding and Billing.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #71954F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates upon review and approval by management, available funding, and in accordance with agency policy.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V8_EDRP_Tampa@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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.
• 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: 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.
• 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 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling.
• Licensure: Must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment.

Grandfather Provision: An LPMHC employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4/3/2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting the full qualification requirements.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

GS-12 LPMHC (Program Coordinator)

• 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-11 grade level. Experience must have been in a major specialty treatment program area such as, but not limited to, Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency

While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position:

1. In depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program.
2. Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates.
3. Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges.
4. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team

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

This position is being filled above the full performance level at GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

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 is not applicable to VA 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.