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Position Title
Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager), CAT-5 Program
Agency
Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBTF-12723484-25-JF Opens in new window
Open Period
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 to Friday, May 9, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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2. Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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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.
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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.
Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages or encrypted, and digitally signed documents linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.
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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). (limit characters)
2. Are you willing to undergo a pre-employment physical? (limit characters)
3. 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. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English? (limit characters)
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. (limit characters)
Assessment 1
Thank you for your interest in a position within the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Administration. The following section is used to determine basic requirements for appointment in the federal government and qualification for a Licensed Professional MH Counselor (Program Manager) position. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. (limit characters)
Grandfather Provision.  All persons employed in VHA in as LPMHC on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration 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:

(1) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure, 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.
(2) Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels.
(3) 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.
(4) If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
(5) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
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BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of experience and/or education that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience and/or education are subject to verification by investigation. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience and/or education as proof to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task
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Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
1. English Language Proficiency.  Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j.

Do you meet the English Language Proficiency as described above?
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2. Education 
  • Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or
  • Hold a master's or doctoral degree in 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 LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling.

Please select the option that best matches your education level.

Please provide education information in narrative box.
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2a. Name of Institution:
City and State:
Degree:
Major/Program:
Month and Year conferred:
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Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
3. Licensure.
Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment.

Do you meet the Licensure requirement?

Please provide License information in narrative textbox.
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3a. Name on License:
Issuing state or territory:
Complete license number:
Expiration date:
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GRADE DETERMINATION GS-13

Assignments. LPMHCs manage the daily operations of multiple programs, develop and implement program policies and procedures, or serve as chief or principal counselor to a number of LPHMCs. They are responsible for oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and monitoring of outcomes. They prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national leadership. Decisions may affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. They may be responsible for the program's budget. They may also supervise employees assigned to the program.
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Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
4. GS-13 ExperienceExperience, Education and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. The experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Examples of Experience
  • LPMHC Program Coordinators are administratively responsible for a clinical program and provide treatment to patients in a major specialty.
  • They manage the daily operations of the program, develop policies and procedures, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use.
  • They may supervise unlicensed graduate LPMHCs and may administratively manage any employees assigned to their program.
In Addition, must meet Knowledge, skills, and Abilities at the GS-12 level, see below.
1. In depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program.
2. Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates
3.Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges.
4.Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team.

Do you meet the above required experience and KSAs(GS-12) to qualify for this position? (Note: Applicants must demonstrate above requirements in their application and supporting documentation.)
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5. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-12 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 
  1. Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management.
  2. Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process.
  3. Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided.
  4. Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs.

Do you meet the KSA requirements as listed above?  Resume must demonstrate KSAs.
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