Duties
The Mental Health Integrated Services (MHIS) Program Manager is directly responsible to the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health (ACOS MH) and coordinates programmatically with Chief of Psychology as needed. The incumbent assists in planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures for the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Program, Health Behavior Coordination (HBC), Pain Psychology, Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Psychology, Urgent Care Mental Health Integration (UCMHI) programs, and other Mental Health Integration (MHI) programs; administratively and clinically supervising personnel across those programs; and developing individual or group goals and objectives as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating, and overseeing mental health services delivered under those programs for the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS). The PCMHI program includes clinical and non-clinical staff from multiple disciplines including direct report supervisee psychologists, licensed professional mental health counselors, clinical social workers, and psychology technicians, as well as staff (mental health RN and clinical pharmacists) who are directly supervised through other services. The HBPC, HBC, and Pain staff currently include clinical psychologist direct reports, while the UCMHI clinicians are presently Social Workers or Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors. The incumbent works with the other MHIS supervisor to ensure all MHIS staff adhere to all current directives of VHA, and meet current Joint Commission standards, State licensure standards, and VA-OIG expectations. The incumbent will conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing and accreditation bodies. The incumbent also provides direct clinical services for a portion of his/her time. In addition, the MHIS Program Coordinator functions as a subject matter expert and leader within the health care system in issues that relate to the MHIS programs.
The Program Manager:
- Exhibits leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups served through MHI programs that cross service and discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. The incumbent provides administrative, technical, and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of MHIS personnel.
- Assists with performance measure monitoring, evaluation, and action plans for program improvement/enhancement as well as accreditation reviews and pertinent site visits.
- Guides and oversees MHI services, determining staffing requirements and assignments in conjunction with members of treatment teams and staff areas where individual skills are best utilized. These duties include development of functional statements, position descriptions, and performance standards with service personnel as well as function as the professional expert relative to MHIS practice issues.
- Assists with directing operation and management of all clinical, training, and administrative needs within MHIS programs.
- Provides oversight of programmatic resources of MHIS programs, ensuring delivery of specialized, complex, and highly professional mental health services integrated with primary care and specialty medicine settings, which significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans.
- Works with all local medical center, health care center and community-based outpatient clinic leadership to meet site specific administrative and operational goals and may assume local leadership functions as necessary and as approved by ACOS for Mental Health.
- Works with ACOS Mental Health in identifying and prioritizing MHIS resource needs to include staffing and equipment needs of MHIS providers.
- As delegated, is responsible for the oversight of funds assigned to Psychology Section control points.
Duties are continued in the Education Section of this announcement.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: This is an onsite position. Telework may be offered when deemed necessary by the department AD-HOC (Employees who telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term basis, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement.) (Portion of day acceptable)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 54669F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact the EDRP Coordinator at VISN17EDRP2@va.gov for questions/assistance.
Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
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.
- You may be required to serve a trial period.
- 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.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
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. 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 - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following:
- 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.
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 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-13 LPMHC (Program Manager) Requirements:
In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-13 you must possess 1 year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade which demonstrates the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. To be equivalent to GS-12, experience must also have been earned while being fully licensed as a Mental Health Counselor by a U.S. State or Territory.
- Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illness. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Ability to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment.
- Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling, or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial, and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans.
- Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.
- Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients, rendering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective clinical skills.
- Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.
- Ability to engage in written and oral communication with leadership/staff and community stakeholders regarding policies, procedures, practice guidelines, and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession.
- Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management.
- Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process.
- Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided.
- Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs.
Preferred Experience:
- Experience organizing work, setting priorities, delegating tasks, and meeting multiple deadlines.
- Experience utilizing evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines, particularly in PCMHI setting.
- Experience supervising others in the use of evidence-based practice guidelines.
- Experience working effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
- Experience in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
- Experience in translating management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
- Experience establishing and monitoring production and performance priorities and standards.
- Experience in analyzing organizational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.
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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.
Physical Requirements:
Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination
Education
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/
Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following:
- 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.
- NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
- NOTE: If your school was accredited by at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the CACREP website http://www.cacrep.org/directory/., you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.
Duties Continued:
Performs the following duties related to the area of clinical guidance:
- Coordinates and monitors clinical training/development of staff who provide psychotherapy, mental health assessments, care management, and other psychosocial services within MHIS programs; and,
- Responsible for assessing, verifying, monitoring, and reporting on the clinical competency of staff providing these services; and, Considers and recommends staff members for further clinical training and development based on staff abilities, goals, and clinic operational needs.
Performs the following duties related to the area of research and research integration into clinical practice:
- Guides MHIS staff in application of current psychological research to their clinical work; and,
- Encourages utilization of evidence-psychotherapy protocols; and,
- Encourages research activities deemed beneficial to VHA patient care of Veterans or to clinical and health care system operations.
Responsible and accountable for assisting the Chief of Psychology, the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health, the Chief of Staff, and the Director in planning, organizing, and coordinating all MHIS programs. The incumbent may be called on to act for other System-level Program Managers including serving as the Acting Chief of Psychology or Acting Chief of Staff for Mental Health.
The incumbent performs the following duties related to practice evaluation and management including the following:
- Reviewing, analyzing, approving, or disapproving all new program developments or role changes within the MHIS programs; and,
- Presenting, interpreting, and implementing new policies and procedures or changes in the previous ones.
The MHIS Program Coordinator orients, teaches, and serves as a consultant to Primary Care and Medical Care staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
- The incumbent will provide leadership, guidance and consultation on staff education and development to all MHIS staff, as appropriate.
- The incumbent provides general and beneficial supervision for MHIS clinical staff and participates in the performance appraisal process for all directly supervised clinical, support, and administrative staff. Incumbent completes the following management system; and,
- Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system; and,
- Observes employee performance and conducts work performance critiques in accordance with performance expectations, which includes FPPEs and OPPEs or clinical competencies; and,
- Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance formally; and,
- Exercises supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignments; and,
- Reviews the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised; and,
- Incumbent recommends awards and changes in position classification to the Chief of Psychology Section or the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health and approves expenses such as within-grade increases, compensatory time, and employee travel.
The incumbent performs the following remedying actions:
- Resolves informal complaints and grievances; and,
- Establishes and executes performance improvement plans; and,
- Makes personnel recommendations; and,
- Enforces disciplinary measures as appropriate to delegated authority and in coordination with Human Resource Management Service (HRMS) and appropriate Union representatives; and,
- Hears and resolves complaints voiced by MHIS staff and works to resolve issues involving staff, including committee chairs, supervisors, and managers within the appropriate services; and,
Duties are continued in the Additional Information Section.
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.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- PCS Orders
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit
Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.
Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/25/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12803722.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.