Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• 1
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 2
• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• 3
• Education: Applicant 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
• OR - Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and - in addition - successfully completed a re-specialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program
• and b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment
• OR - Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• 4
• Internship: Candidate 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 and 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 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 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
• NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard
• 5
• Licensure: Candidates 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Senior Psychologist (VISN Manager) - GS-15: Experience
• At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of and ability to communicate existing policies and regulations effectively
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize resource materials and to develop new materials when needed
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a diverse group of professional staff and management officials who are often at the highest management levels
• Ability to develop and recommend new or revised policies that are consistent with organizational goals and objectives
• Skill in leading senior management officials in policy development
• Ability to influence high level officials in adoption of and conformance to performance measures - monitors - and other policy guidelines
• Preferred Experience: Current Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program Manager/Director experience with Virtual Care and Supervising employees Experience within VISN 16 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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 - puling - and pushing
• May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment
• Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions
• the area is adequately lighted - heated - and ventilated
• However - the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This Senior Psychologist (VISN Manager) position serves as the Network Mental Health Residential Treatment Program (MH RRTP) Director and is a member of the VISN 16 Mental Health Integrated Clinical Community (MH ICC) Executive Team
• This position has principal responsibility within the network for coordinating the full range of clinical and administrative activities associated with all the South-Central VA Health Care Network MH RRTP and is the administrative/operational lead of the VISN 16 Centralized Screening Team
• Duties include - but are not limited to: Directs the MH RRTP at the VISN level
• Individuals at this level have delegated authority to determine long range work plans and assure that implementation of the goals and objectives is carried out for the programs
• Serves as the program official - advisor - and analyst for the programs for which they are responsible
• Develop and implement the organizational vision for those programs and provide leadership - consultation - and operational guidance in compliance with established regulations - policies - and procedures
• Implements national initiatives for the care and treatment of Veterans
• educational programs
• program evaluation
• quality assurance
• policy and procedure formulation for the programs
• and providing guidance at the individual program level for facility implementation
• Coordinate and complete action items from VA Central Office and may author and coordinate white papers and issue briefs as clarification documents - providing technical expertise
• Has full responsibility for managing and directing the professional staff/clinicians assigned to the MH RRTP Centralized Screening Team (CST) including ensuring VA qualification standards are met and staff perform within their scope of practice
• Consults with - and serves as a resource - for other professional personnel concerning the need for - and development of - VISN 16 MH RRTP residential programs - its' mission and goals
• Ability to develop and recommend new or revised policies that are consistent with organizational goals and objectives in order to support the full implementation of MH RRTP and advancement the residential program at medical centers and the CST
• Ability to influence high level officials in adoption of - and conformance to - performance measures - monitors - and other policy guidelines
• Serves as a mentor to professionals within and external to VISN 16 MH RRTP promoting professional development for investigators - clinical educators - and implementation support professionals so as to support the growth of a cadre of professionals who will advance quality of care for Veterans
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Relocation/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 Lashala.Goodman@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)
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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 #: 598-01171-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized