- Position Title
- Addiction Therapist (Bachelor's Level)
- Agency
- Veterans Health Administration
- Announcement Number
- CBSV-12707858-25-SL Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Tuesday, March 11, 2025 to Friday, April 4, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1.
Do you claim Veterans’ Preference?
2.
Are you a current permanent Federal employee from an agency other than Department of Veterans Affairs?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
Preferences
1.
Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
Your resume must be submitted in English and include the following information for each job listed:
- Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
- Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
- Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
2.
Are you willing to accept the conditions of employment as indicated in the announcement?
3.
Applicants are required to undergo and successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening test and must submit to random drug testing after employment. Will you comply with this requirement?
In order to receive appropriate consideration, you should submit proper documentation if you are claiming eligibility for Veterans' Preference, which includes a copy of your DD-214 (member copy 4 or earlier version that shows character of service). Applicant's claiming 10-Point preference should also submit an SF-15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference along with the required documentation listed on the form (such as verification of service-connected disability percentage).
If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.
Assessment 1
BASIC REQUIREMENTS: The following section is used to determine your eligibility for this vacancy. Your application must provide acceptable proof of your status. Please choose an answer for each of the following items to identify which of the following descriptions applies to you.
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).
1.
English Language Proficiency Requirement: Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
Are you proficient in spoken and written English?
Are you proficient in spoken and written English?
2.
Education Requirement: Applicant MUST hold a bachelor's degree in drug and alcohol studies or a related behavioral health field from an accredited college or university. In some jurisdictions, individuals may not be required to hold a bachelor's degree to be licensed/certified in Alcohol and Drug Treatment. VHA will not waive education requirements even if the candidate has a license/certification that does not require a bachelor's degree.
Do you meet the education requirement as described above?
Do you meet the education requirement as described above?
3.
Licensure: Individuals appointed or reassigned to an Addiction Therapist (AT) position in the GS-0101 series must:
- Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license/certification in a state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia to practice in the field of Alcohol and Drug Treatment; AND
- Complete one of the following:
- International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Certification; or
- National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, National Certified Addiction Counselor Level 1
4.
Grade Requirements, GS-5: In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above, the following criteria must be met in order to be qualified for the Addiction Therapist position at the GS-5 level:
- GS-5 is considered an entry level assignment and is used for ATs who are licensed/certified with less than one year of experience. There is no experience outside of the basic requirements.
5.
Grade Requirements, GS-7: In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above, the following criteria must be met in order to be qualified for the Addiction Therapist position at the GS-7 level:
- Experience: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level; OR
- Education (Advanced Entry Level Placement): Applicants who meet the GS-05 grade level may be appointed at the GS-07 grade level if they possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a major field of study in a drug and alcohol studies or a related behavioral health field with an exemplary academic record as demonstrated by:
- 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on four years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum; OR
- 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final two years of the curriculum; OR
- Class Standing: Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university or major subdivision based on completed courses.
- Knowledge of principles, concepts and methods of counseling and therapies used in treatment of individuals with SUDs
- Knowledge of appropriate documentation of substance use history and treatment
- Ability to identify patients who are in psychological distress
6.
Grade Requirements, GS-9: In addition to meeting all the basic requirements listed above, the following criteria must be met in order to be qualified for the Addiction Therapist position at the GS-9 level:
- Experience: At least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level.
- Knowledge of coexisting medical or other mental health disorders as interrelated to SUDs
- Ability to complete assessments of substance use disorders, treatment planning and continued care planning
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working or therapeutic relationships with multidisciplinary staff, Veterans and their families, from various backgrounds and community resources to ensure appropriate referrals
Grandfathering Provision: Applicants 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). All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or another occupational series and performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education, credential or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
- Employees in an occupation that does not require a licensure, certification or registration, may be reassigned, promoted or demoted within the occupation.
- Employees in an occupation that requires licensure, certification, or registration may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or demoted within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
- Employees in an occupation that require a licensure, certification or registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure, certification or registration requirement before being promoted to those higher grade levels.
- Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
- Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure, certification, or registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
- Employees retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. 7401(3) under this provision who leave that occupation or employment with the VA, lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation and/or VA.