Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees in the VHA service. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

Videos

VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The ACMHMP is directly responsible for overseeing multiple Mental Health Services programs including the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (IPU), Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SARRTP), Services for Outpatient Addiction Recovery (SOAR), Medical Psychiatry Services, Access Crisis Team (ACT), and others as assigned. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting the ACOS of Mental Health in the overall operation of Mental Health Service
• Maintaining supervisory responsibility over the supervisors of multiple programs which may include the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (IPU), Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SARRTP), Services for Outpatient Addiction Recovery (SOAR), Medical Psychiatry Services, Access Crisis Team (ACT), and others as assigned
• Develops and maintains a high-quality Mental Health Service while meeting all VISN and VACO Environment of Care and programmatic requirements
• Working cooperatively with the ACOS, MHS, DACOS, MHS, Associate Chief of Community Programs, MHS, and other medical departments, and the Chief of Staff
• Fostering a cohesive interdisciplinary team environment within programs
• Overseeing quality control issues and performance measures with the ACOS, DACOS, and Associate Chief of Community Programs, MHS
• Working cooperatively with the Local Recovery Coordinator to assure integration of Recovery-focused treatment elements throughout the MHS
• Overseeing compliance with and successful execution of Mental Health Performance Measures, workload, VERA capture, Veteran satisfaction, and quality assurance
• Meeting with Veterans needing service-recovery
• Providing consultation for all mental health clinicians in regard to the clinical care of complex cases, especially as it relates to Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
• Meeting regularly with the ACOS, MHS in regard to all issues related to supervised programs
• Working cohesively with the ACOS, MHS to assure that all aspects of the Mental Health Service are functioning optimally
• Being a member of the senior leadership team in Mental Health and being involved in Clinical Leadership Meetings and decision making
• Completing all quality measures and reports as requested by VASLCHCS, VISN 19 and VA Central Office
• Working closely with all senior Mental Health supervisors and clinicians on issues related to performance, workload, and Veteran satisfaction
• Providing coverage for the for the ACOS, MHS, DACOS, MHS, or Associate Chief of Community Programs, MHS in their absence

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8AM to 4:30PM
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (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: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 61434O
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 identification 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: Must be proficient in spoken & written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

Education: Must 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. 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.
~OR~
Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology & successfully completed 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
  • NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship.

~OR~
Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature

Internship: Must 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 & 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~
Completion of an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed may be considered eligible 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 & 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a 1-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 1 year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program.

Licensure: Must 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.

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:

Psychologist GS-14 Assistant Chief Experience: At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

Psychologist GS-14 Assistant Chief Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• 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 provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines.
• Ability to supervise and manage subordinate employees effectively.
• Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution.
• Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.

Preferred Experience: Experience with oversight of multiple complex healthcare operations and programs. Experience providing care to Veterans with serious mental illness.

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

Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The incumbent must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the incumbent or others. Position may require walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may rarely require travel programs in the community, clinics, medical centers, CBOC's, etc. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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.