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Physician (SUD Psychiatrist)

Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs

Open to the publicPermanentFull-timeSecurity clearance required
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Salary
$265,000 – $315,000/yr
Pay grade
GS 15
Openings
1
Posted
Oct 13, 2026
Closes
Closes in 7 days

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

The VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System is seeking a Psychiatrist to deliver exceptional, Veteran-centered care as part of a collaborative team providing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services to Veterans served by the newly established National Center for Warrior Independence.

As a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team, the NCWI SUD Psychiatrist is responsible for providing comprehensive psychiatric assessment and treatment. Must be skilled in general outpatient & addiction psychiatry, diagnostic evaluations, pharmacotherapy & psychotherapy. Should be competent in the management of individuals with a broad range of conditions, including but not limited to substance use disorders, mood, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychotic and psychiatric disorders in the aging Veteran population. VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System has an active relationship with multiple academic affiliates, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
(EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for the incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance.
Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
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)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory
CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Patient Care Services may provide direct patient care services to Veterans in the section and at other sites within GLA; the duties are not limited to the following:

  • Performs psychiatric evaluations for a diverse population & a full range of therapeutic interventions, including diagnostic assessment, medication evaluation & management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, & overall care of patients with psychiatric disorders
  • Ensures practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with TJC, CARF, HIPAA, VA policies & procedures, clinical practice guidelines, national statutes & regulations, medical record documentation, & mandatory continuing education
  • Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment & the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care
  • The psychiatrist may serve as a mental health team leader with responsibilities for coordinating consults & triage of specialty clinic referrals
  • Orders diagnostic tests & consultations, & discriminates between normal & abnormal findings, making appropriate treatment decisions
  • Areas in which the psychiatrist is assigned & has clinical privileges to practice may include depression, anxiety, psychosis, PTSD, substance abuse, & other psychiatric disorders in outpatient clinical settings
  • Mental health assessments, including suicide risk assessments & diagnostic assessments for both acute & chronic mental health conditions
  • Crisis evaluation & intervention/management
  • Treatment, including psychiatric pharmacotherapy within the VA formulary guidelines & non-pharmacotherapy interventions (e.g., psychotherapies)
  • Perform on-call duties, as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:30 pm

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

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.
  • Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
  • Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
  • Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are:
    • (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
    • (2) One year of post-medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
    • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
    • Exceptions:
      • Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
      • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
  • Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Additional Requirement:
  • Board Certification or Eligibility with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) / American Osteopathic Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (AOBPN)
Preferred Experience:
  • Fellowship training in Addiction Psychiatry or Addiction Medicine, and Board Certification or Eligibility in Addiction Psychiatry or Addiction Medicine
  • Expertise or experience treating patients with opioid use disorder, including experience prescribing buprenorphine and methadone
  • Experience and desire to work with trainees
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Physical demands include repetitive body movements, such as frequent reaching, standing, walking, and lifting equipment and/or patients to provide patient care. This position requires extension of the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction, including above or below shoulder level, during the provision of patient care, including the retrieval of needed equipment and supplies, and contact with the patient. Also requires maintaining an upright posture to perform patient care duties and is typically non-sedentary, frequently involving standing.

Education

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:
  1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
  2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
  3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.
NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Requirements

  • U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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