Duties
This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is 08/20. Additional applications will be referred as needed.
VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional
The clinical and programmatic activities subsumed under this Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) position are conducted as part of the Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery Rural Access network for Growth Enhancement (ICMHR-RANGE) program. The ICMHR-RANGE program is a clinical program providing treatment to patients in a major specialty program for the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS).
ICMHR-RANGE is a complex program with a current maximum capacity of 110 Veterans with severe functional impairments who have chronic severe and persistent mental illness. The program is characterized by high staff to patient ratios, service delivery in the community, practical problem solving approaches, and a high degree of continuity of care. The program utilizes and interdisciplinary team treatment approach and ICMHR-RANGE clinicians serve as the primary outpatient mental health providers for the Veterans they serve.
The ICMHR-RANGE Staff Psychologist is directly responsible to the Recovery Services Program Manager and ultimately to the Chief of Psychology and Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health (ACOS MH).
The Staff Psychologist:
Participates in development of a treatment plan that includes measurable goals based on relevant biopsychosocial information for each Veteran contacted through outreach, and is responsible for the assessment, identification, facilitation, referral, and linkage to appropriate medical, psychiatric, and social services for Veterans identified as eligible for services.
Conducts individual and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of substance abuse, psychiatric illness, and social needs as treatment issues. Professional judgment, including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior, is a competency applied in daily interactions with Veterans.
Participates in the assignment of Veterans to VA treatment teams and programs, including consulting with relevant clinical staff in planning treatment for Veterans with comorbidities.
Facilitates community organization and outreach to alleviate problems that may interfere with Veterans' ability to achieve independence.
Duties are continued in the Education Section.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized.
Recruitment Incentives. Recruitment incentives may be authorized to full-time, part time[,] or intermittent individuals in their first appointment as a Federal employee or to a newly appointed former Federal employee with at least a 90-day break in service
Relocation Incentives. Relocation incentives may be authorized to full-time Federal employees who must change worksite[s] and physically relocate to a different geographic area when the approving official determines that without the incentive, it would be difficult to fill the position with a high-quality candidate.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn17edrp2@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
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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: Ad/Hoc Telework may be available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 54549F, 54550F, 54551F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO):
Requirements
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.
- 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.
- 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).
Qualifications
VA HPT's pending the completion of education or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
Applicants pending license requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate psychologist not to exceed 2 years at the GS-11 or 12 grade levels, depending on years of creditable experience.
Basic Requirements:
United States Citizenship: You must be a U.S. Citizen
English language proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English
- Education: To be qualified for a GS-0180 Psychologist you must possess 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, OR
- Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the 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 the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR
- Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
- Internship Requirement - You 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.
- 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. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 (a)(1)(D) for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience: At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level.
GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) Experience: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's): In addition to the requirements listed above, candidates must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) listed below.
GS-11: None beyond basic requirements
GS-12:
1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. 2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.
3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.
4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).
5. Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team, including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, and collaboration.
GS-13:
1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.
2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.
Preferred Experience:
- Full unrestricted license
- no less than one year of clinical experience with individuals diagnosed with population diagnosed with serious mental illness
- no less than one year of experience providing community-based care management and clinical services
- clear documentation of experience providing experience based clinical practices (IE cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, social skills training, DBT, ETC...) to the population diagnosed with SMI
- No less than one year working with an integrated interdisciplinary mental health clinical team
Physical Requirements:
Assessment must be made for any acute or chronic medical/physical condition or medication use which interferes with the ability operate the appropriate Government-owned or -leased vehicle safely and without undue risk to themselves or others. The following requirements must be met:
- distant vision 20/40 in one eye with or without correction,
- field of vision 70 degrees,
- ability to distinguish red, green and amber,
- whispered voice at five feet, or average hearing loss of not greater than 40 dbs. at 500, 1000 and 2,000 Hz.
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 in the range of GS-11 to GS-13.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Accreditation Information: The 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). Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from https://accreditation.apa.org/accreditedrogramshttps://www.pcsas.org/accreditation/accredited-programs/ orhttps://cpa.ca/accreditation/cpaaccreditedprograms/
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 American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA). at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the APA Accreditation - Home, CPA Accredited Programs - Canadian Psychological Association, or Accredited Programs - PCSAS website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Duties Continued:
Assists the Veteran in service stabilization by consulting and intervening when problems arise with service providers and assists in prioritizing the management and pace of services Veterans receive.
Provides community based ICMHR Services with use of government owned vehicle, including the transportation of Veterans in government owned
vehicles when clinically indicated and a part of the Veteran's recovery plan.
Ensures utilization of government owned equipment (i.e., laptop computers, phones, hotspots, and government owned vehicles) in accordance with medical center policies.
Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and need for services of Veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychosocial support.
Diagnoses mental disorders and conducts psychosocial assessments as needed to determine appropriate treatment interventions, modalities, and referrals, including provision of adjunctive interventions for treatment of mental disorders using individual, family, and group psychotherapies.
Identifies and interviews Veterans community-based and clinic-based settings to conduct needs assessments and determine appropriate referrals, linkages, and coordination for VA and non-VA services to enhance function in the community.
May be assigned direct clinical program management responsibilities for the ICMHR-RANGE services as indicated by ICMHR Program Coordinator, Recovery Services Program Manager, or Chief of Psychology. May serve as clinical supervisor for employees in lower grades.
May be selected by the ICMHR Program Lead, Recovery Services Program Manager or Chief of Psychology to serve as the psychology service representative on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System-level, or VISN administrative committees or work groups.
May coordinate programming with various mental health and primary care programs in coordination with managers of such
programs as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs.
May be involved in research activities, especially as related to program evaluation responsibilities.???????
May have responsibility for and oversight of the administrative and programmatic resources of various clinical programs that are specialized/complex and significantly impact the delivery of health care service to Veterans in the VATVCBHCS.
May manage the work of various clinical programs and their staff, ensuring that work is assigned in a systematic way and meets facility and VA guidelines/standards.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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 12/31/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12782702.
- 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.