Staff Psychologist (Centralized Eligibility & Appeals Team)

VA Careers - Psychologist: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Duties include but not limited to:

• Reviews dispositions of PCAFC initial eligibility decisions reassessments and appeal decisions for clinical eligibility determinations within the timeframes indicated in the final rule applying a psychological perspective to each evaluation.
• Analyzes mental health data obtained from the VHA electronic health record and collateral sources to determine PCAFC clinical eligibility and documents all findings using approved CSP PCAFC templated notes.
• Works collaboratively with inter-professional team members at Regional VISN and facility levels to ensure PCAFC eligibility determinations are delivered objectively with strong and consistent inter-rater agreement and that outcomes are documented and communicated in a clear coordinated manner.
• Utilizes knowledge of PCAFC clinical eligibility to coordinate with other regional CEATs on the transfer of appeals for inter-VISN evaluation.
• Applies comprehensive expertise in administering scoring and interpreting a broad range of psychological and psychometric assessments (e.g. attention/concentration memory executive functioning intelligence reasoning and judgment) to support CEAT case disposition and team recommendations.
• Conducts peer reviews from a psychological standpoint which may occur at the regional level to support national consistency in determinations.
• Collaborates with and contributes expertise to a community of practice across VISNs and regions working closely with CSP CSCs and CEAT members.

• 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.
• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 section A paragraph 3j.
• Education: Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program 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. OR Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and successfully completed a re-specialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA- or CPA-accredited doctoral program; and b) The specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment for which you are applying. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship: Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed; OR New VHA psychology internship programs in the process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable if sanctioned by the VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time 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 acceptable; OR Applicants who completed an internship not accredited by APA or CPA may be eligible only if currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty consistent with the assignment. (NOTE: Once board certified the employee must maintain board certification.)NOTE: Applicants with a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill the internship requirement by completing the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site acceptable to their doctoral program. If not noted on the official transcript a statement from the doctoral program verifying completion is required.
• Licensure: 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.