Clarification from the agency

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

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Veterans treated within BHIP teams come from a wide geographic area and have a wide range of mental health diagnoses. Their healthcare, psychosocial problems, and needs are complex. They require a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving. BHIP clinical care will focus primarily on providing evidence-based treatment

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Incumbent provides direct administrative supervision to BHIP Psychologists, Social Workers, MFTs, LPCs, Psychiatrists, APRNs, PAs, and PSAs. MFT Program Manager engages in close coordination with discipline specific professional leads regarding programmatic requirements, needs, and any professional practice issues.
• Develops short- and long-range goals and plans related to strategic plan. Develops and implements policies and procedures to ensure goal attainment.
• Provides leadership and guidance in carrying out program planning, outcome evaluation, and staff development activities.
• Incumbent is responsible for monitoring the quality of the professional services provided by BHIP at their designated clinic. Works with administrative personnel to monitor data that tracks the effectiveness of treatment, quality of documentation, and levels of productivity for BHIP providers and provides timely feedback to BHIP providers on their performance.
• Incumbent manages all aspects of daily operations for the BHIP program within their designated clinic, including resource and personnel management.
• Serves as 'champions' for Mental Health Suite and Behavioral Health Lab (BHL),and is highly proficient in all software programs utilized by BHIP staff.
• Responsible for oversight of required clinical records as well as any reports due to higher level reporting agencies.
• Serves as the initial evaluator for employee evaluations for BHIP providers on the team for which they are the first line supervisors. MFT Program Manager is also responsible for devising and implementing plans to improve provider performance deficiencies.
• Responsible for mentoring BHIP team staff and establishing supervisory relationships with each BHIP staff member they supervise at their designated clinic.
• Responsible for managing disciplinary actions, as indicated, for BHIP staff they supervise at their designated site.
• Participates in a variety of meetings as directed by the Associate Chief of Staff-Behavioral Health (ACOS-BH), Deputy ACOS-BH, and Supervisory SW, BHS. These will include, but are not limited to, SAIL Committee, BH Executive Committee, and BH Patient Experience Committee.
• Participates fully in peer review, assessing the quality of professional standards provided in the organization.
• Incumbent provides clinical services including direct clinical care to Veterans being treated in BHIP, via TeleMental Health and face-to-face modalities. A strong emphasis is placed on providing evidence-based treatments.
• Develops comprehensive treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals, objectives and interventions for psychosocial clinical treatment.
• Ultimately responsible for all entries in the Veteran's medical record (CPRS) and timely completion thereof, including discharge summaries, patient encounters, risk assessment, and measurement-based care.
• Responsible for completion of all assigned clinical reminders for patients under their care, and performance measures assigned.
• Adheres to HIPAA, privacy regulations and VHA Directives related to release of information.
• Provides individual, family and group therapy services in accordance with the needs identified in the Veteran's treatment assessment and treatment plan

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday, schedule will be discuss during interview, Compressed TOD maybe considered
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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: Available (Ad Hoc).
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 593-09746-F
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 identification 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 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.
• Education. Candidates must meet one of the following:
  (1)Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE,
  (2)Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution, OR,
  (3)Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in a comparable mental health degree(Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing, Psychology, and Psychiatry) that meets the current VA qualification standard of that profession.
• Experience: Completion of one year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to that equivalent to the GS-12 grade level which demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment.
• Education: MFT Program Manager must have graduated from a COAMFTE approved program OR have passed the AMFTRB examination. MFT Program Manager must have five years of post- licensed clinical experience in family systems theory/therapy and must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise.
• License: Hold a full, current, and unrestricted Marriage and Family Therapy license to independently practice marriage and family therapy in a state or are you pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure. MFT Program Manager must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential.
• Demonstrated KSAs:
• Skill in assessing qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees to include staff performance evaluation and may include evaluations of lower-level assignments and support staff.
• Ability to facilitate professional development of other MFTs across programs/or locations (i.e. CBOC, outpatient clinics, etc.) and guide them in current practice guidelines.
• Ability to collaborate with leaders of other disciplines within facilities, the community, VISN, and VACO.
• Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives, reporting requirements and the ability to devise ways to adapt work operations to new and changing programs, staffing and budget requirements. This includes knowledge of VA policy and procedures as well as fair, principled and decisive leadership practices.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.
• Ability to clinically supervise in areas related to the provision of marital and family therapy services to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.

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).

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as an MFT on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all 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:
(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, demoted, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) MFTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Employees who are retained as a MFT under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a MFT.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Preferred Experience: Supervisory, Evidenced-based treatments, Program Management

Physical Requirements: In accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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.