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Enrollment

• Unconditionally accepted in the accredited academic program that will qualify for employment in one of the professional fields associated with the scholarship program. Proof of enrollment and unconditional acceptance must be provided at time of application.
• Academic institution must be located within the U.S., accredited, and at the educational level required.
• Dual enrollment, dual majors, pre-requisite courses, or multiple applications are not considered.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

• Have a 3.3 CGPA using a current transcript that shows 15 earned credit hours within the past 5 years at the time of application. Transcripts outside the 5-year period or that show less than 15 earned credit hours will automatically be removed from consideration. 
• Pass/Fail courses are accepted. An official letter from your academic institution must outline the converted CGPA to a 4.0 scale with total credit hours earned.  

Citizenship and Age

• 18 years of age or older.
• U.S. Citizen as defined by birth or naturalization. Note: Work visas and resident alien status are not accepted. 
• Pass background checks, security clearance, or other pre-onboarding requirements as determined by VA.  
• Veteran status is not required for any of the eligible programs listed. However, Veteran status is required for the Physician Assistant (PA program). 
• Cannot be completing an existing service obligation to another program, federal agency, or entity at time of application.

Federal Debt

• Not in default or delinquent on any federal debt, defined as 31 days past due on a scheduled payment, taxes, audit disallowances, guaranteed or direct student loans, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or VA mortgages, and other miscellaneous administrative debt. 

Registered Nurses:

Nursing education must be from a school of professional nursing accredited by one of the following accrediting organizations at the time the program was completed by the applicant: 

• The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326. The ACEN accredits all levels of nursing programs, including clinical doctorate, masters/post master’s certificate, baccalaureate, associate, and diploma nursing education programs.  
  • Note: The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission/NLNAC changed its name to ACEN in May 2013. ACEN’s website may be utilized to verify accredited programs using automated inquiry processes. However, for verification of any nursing program’s accreditation prior to 1998, an automated inquiry cannot be used and ACEN must be contacted directly via their email contact information on the ACEN website to verify. 

Physicians:

Hold a 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:

• Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted. 
• Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted. 

Psychologists:

Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology at the time the program is completed, accredited by one of the following: 

• The American Psychological Association (APA) 
• The Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)  
• The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)  

The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. To meet this requirement, the term “specialty area” refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills.  

Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology.  

Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas, except for school psychology. 

School Psychology degrees do not qualify. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment.  

Social Workers:

Hold a master’s degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited.  

A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master’s degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Master of Social Work. 

106A4– Workforce Management and Consulting

VA Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP) Training for Scholarship Recipients (BIS 23783)

TMS ID: 131023566

Program Description: This training will provide VA Health Professional Scholarship Program (HPSP) participants with information regarding requirements during obligatory service outlined in the HPSP agreement and information about the breach and waiver process.

Program Expiration: March 1, 2029
Access: TMS# 131023566
Location: At your computer workstation for viewing with TMS access.
Modality: Access the training at your workstation via TMS registration.
Credit/hours: 0.25 hours
Accreditations: N/A
Direct VA TMS Link: VA HPSP Training for Scholarship Recipients (BIS 23783)

Questions? 

ILEAD Contact:

Katherine Sheridan, MEd
Healthcare Education Specialist
VHA Institute for Learning, Education and Development (ILEAD)
Katherine.Sheridan1@va.gov

Program Office Contact Info:

Heather Lupkey, MS, RD
Supervisory Program Manager, Scholarship & Clinical Education (106A4)
Workforce Solutions (106A4)
Heather.Lupkey@va.gov

Enrollment

• Enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited academic program leading up to meeting the qualification standards for employment. Education programs must lead to a certification granted by the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP). 
• Only available to VA employees: Enrolled as a part-time student in an accredited academic program leading up to meeting the qualification standards for employment based on qualification standards. Education programs must lead to a certification granted by ACVREP. 

Citizenship and Age

• 18 years of age or older.
• U.S. Citizen as defined by birth or naturalization. Note: Work visas and resident alien status are not accepted. 
• Pass background checks, security clearance, or other pre-onboarding requirements as determined by VA.
• Cannot be completing an existing obligation to another program, federal agency, or entity at time of application.

Program Coverage

• Full Time Status: Up to $15,000 per academic year up to a maximum of 4 years to complete education (cumulative total award of $45,000).
• Only Available to VA Employees (part-time status): Awarded for a minimum of 1 academic year to a maximum of 6 academic years to compete.

Enrollment

• Enrolled in an accredited academic program leading up to meeting the qualification standards for employment based on the specialty occupation.
• Academic institution must be located within the U.S., accredited, and at the educational level required.
• Dual enrollment, dual majors, pre-requisite courses, or multiple applications are not considered.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

• Have a 3.3 CGPA using a current transcript that shows 15 earned credit hours within the past 5 years at the time of application. Transcripts outside the 5-year period or that show less than 15 earned credit hours will automatically be removed for consideration.
• Pass/Fail courses are accepted. An official letter from your academic institution must outline the converted CGPA to a 4.0 scale with total credit hours earned.  

Citizenship and Age

• 18 years of age or older.
• U.S. Citizen as defined by birth or naturalization. Note: Work visas and resident alien status are not accepted. 
• Pass background checks, security clearance, or other pre-onboarding requirements as determined by VA.
• Cannot be completing an existing service obligation to another program, federal agency, or entity at time of application.

Federal Debt

• Not in default or delinquent on any federal debt. Defined as 31 days past due on a scheduled payment, taxes, audit disallowances, guaranteed or direct student loans, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or VA mortgages, and other miscellaneous administrative debt.

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors:

Hold a master’s or doctoral degree in:

• Clinical mental health counseling  
• Clinical rehabilitation counseling  
• Clinical mental health counseling and clinical rehabilitation counseling  

You may also qualify with 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. 

Marriage and Family Therapists:

Hold a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE. 

Psychologists:

Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology at the time the program is completed, accredited by one of the following:

• The American Psychological Association (APA) 
• The Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)  
• The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)  

The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. To meet this requirement, the term “specialty area” refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills.  

Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology.  

Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas, except for school psychology. 

School Psychology degrees do not qualify. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment.  

Social Workers:

Have a master’s degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited.  

A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master’s degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a Master of Social Work.