Psychologist (Primary Care MH Integration)-Recruitment Incentive & Education Debt Reduction Program - Corpus Christi, United States - Department of Veterans Affairs

Description

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.

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Overview

• Accepting applications
• Open & closing dates

04/02/2024 to 08/28/2024

• Salary

$81,888 - $151,732 per year

Salary range listed is for Corpus Christi and McAllen TX

• Pay scale & grade

GS

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Locations

3 vacancies in the following locations:

• Corpus Christi, TX
• McAllen, TX
• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

• Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent -* Work schedule

Full-time -* Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

13

• Job family (Series)

0180 Psychology

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Announcement number

CAZM LGJ

• Control number

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This job is open to

• The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This is an external job announcement.

Current permanent VA employees are encouraged to apply under the internal announcement (
CAZM LGJ) to receive consideration based on current employment status.

Although hybrid title 38 occupations follow title 5 Veterans' preference rules, 38 U.S.C.

7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference to external applicant applying for this position as identified by VHA until 09/30/2024 as outlined in OCHCO Bulletin effective 10/01/2023.

Help This job is also open in another announcement to:

• Federal employees - Competitive service
• Federal employees - Excepted service
• Internal to an agency

Help This job is also open in another announcement to:

• Federal employees - Competitive service
• Federal employees - Excepted service
• Internal to an agency

Videos

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Duties

VA Careers - Psychologist:

Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Psychologist:

Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified individual.

This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off cate is 04/10/2024. Additional applicants will be referred as needed.

Duties include, but are not limited to:
Administrative

• May assist coordinating programming within the various mental health programs with psychology Program Managers as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs
• May serve as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System, or VISN administrative committees or work groups
• Additional duties as assigned

Clinical

• Providing a range of psychological therapeutic interventions, including group and individual formats, with individuals with mental health and medical disorders utilizing empirically supported modalities when indicated. Services may be delivered in a face-to-face and/or telehealth format
• Consulting with and serving as a resource for other professional personnel concerning the need for, evaluation of, and development of psychological services in VATVCBHCS
• Dealing effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view
• May be asked to assist in the selection, training, and supervision of staff at lower grade within assigned program area, Psychology Service, or VATVCBHCS

Academic/Teaching/Research

• May be asked to serve as a clinical supervisor for psychology pre-doctoral interns, and doctoral level graduate practicum students in psychology and other related disciplines
• May be asked to prepare and teach seminars/workshops for VATVCBHCS trainees/staff on topics within interest/competency areas

Work Schedule:
Fulltime, Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.


Compressed/Flexible:
Available

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Recruitment Incentive may be authorized for a

Highly Qualified Individual:

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.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized

EDRP Authorized:
Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact , 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 existing pay, 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 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 #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized


Financial Disclosure Report:
Not required

Bargaining Unit position

Physical Requirements:
The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work.

Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site.

Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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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 probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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:

• 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.

  For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body & not to specific job duties that might require special skills.

  Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas.

  PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology & school psychology.

  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 & in addition, successfully complete a respecialization 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; & 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 &/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship.

Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above & who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.

OR

• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 & 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship:
• Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed & 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 & 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 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 & 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.

• Licensure: Hold a full, current & 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 [(c)(2)(B)] 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.
• Loss of Credential. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified & if a placement opportunity exists.
• Board Certification & Loss of Credential Board Certification.
• Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current & the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.
• Loss of Credential. Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid & unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified & if a placement opportunity exists.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive & Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken & written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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:
GS-11 Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Qualification information continued under Additional Information

Education


IMPORTANT:

A transcript may be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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:
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:

Accreditation Information:

You 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) accreditation/CPAaccreditedprograms/ 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.

For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills.

Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas.

PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology.

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.

Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology).

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 you are am applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.



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 APA or CPA at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Additional information

Qualification Information Continued

GS-12

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.

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 apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.
• Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.
• Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.
• Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).
• 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

Experience.

At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 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 apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
• Knowledge of clinical research literature.

Preferred Experience

• Licensed within discipline
• Experience providing individual and group psychotherapy for a wide array of diagnoses
• Experience as a therapist in the VA
• Experience in PCMHI and/or primary care setting

References:
VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard GS-0180 Veterans Health Administration February 7, 2018.

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.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive , VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy).

VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations.

If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date.

The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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• Benefits

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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.

Review our benefits

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 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.

Note: 38 U.S.C. 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference to external applicants for appointments made from this announcement.

For this open continuous job announcement, after 90 days of application submission, your application will expire. If you continue to be interested in this position, please update your application thru your account.