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

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 Qualifications:The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g, this part.)
• 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. TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED TO VERIFY EDUCATION

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:
• 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.
• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS:

Creditable Experience:

• Quality of Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level.
• Part-time Experience: Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full- time workweek. For example, a psychologist employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.
• Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships: Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice. Training as a fellow or resident is creditable experience on a year-for-year basis.

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/.

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.

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.

DUTIES

VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Psychology Program Manager has responsibility for the Outpatient Mental Health clinics and leads/organizes the national BHIP initiative at the Buffalo site. The Psychology Program Manager works closely with the Chiefs of Psychiatry and Psychology, the Social Work Executive, and the lead MH nurse to provide administrative oversite in the GMH clinic. The program manager works with them to define productivity targets, assign workload, determine clinic needs and negotiate the needs of general mental health services. The Psychology Program Manager is the clinical and administrative supervisor for social workers, the Peer Support Specialist, and the mental health counselor in the program. The program manager works with them to define productivity targets, assign workload, determine clinic needs and negotiate the needs of the General Mental Health Clinic.
The incumbent provides administrative oversite for and performs the administrative and personnel management function relative to staff supervised including personnel actions, clinical and administrative supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. In times when supervision duties are shared (for example, unlicensed staff, or staff from other disciplines), the incumbent works closely with the clinical supervisor to ensure that any concerns
are resolved. The incumbent also works with the Chiefs of Psychiatry, and Psychology and the Social Work Executive on performance for their staff. That is, the incumbent will provide input on the staff as the incumbent oversees the department. S/he may also become aware of patient complaints about a provider and would work with Chiefs/leads to determine how best to address and discuss disciplinary issues.
The incumbent gathers and maintains information and uses analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of services provided. This may include productivity statistics, clinic utilizations data, clinic access data, and SAIL metrics,
using data cubes and other VA data sources- quantitative data to determine quality. This involves the development and maintenance of data bases designed to track the various programs activities as well as monitoring SAIL data and developing action plans to improve performance on various measures.
The incumbent is responsible for managing and reporting on program specific labor mapping, workload, and
clinic utilization within the assigned program area. The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related
to these programs regarding day to day functioning and program evaluation. The Program Manager is able to communicate effectively, both orally and writing with people from varied backgrounds and is able to evaluate his/her own practice through professional peer review, case conferences and other organizational means.
The Program Manager participates in committee assignments, discipline specific meetings and initiatives, as
deemed necessary by the service manager. May provide supervision to a psychology intern or be generally
involved with the post-doctoral psychology training program.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: 8:00 AM to 4:30PM
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@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: Ad-Hoc agreement available for this position
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000

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
• Full, Current, and Unrestricted License to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States
• PCS Orders
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcrip

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 08/29/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12780744.

• 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