The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) is the state agency that focuses solely on policies, programs, and services for people with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or any combination of these. As Georgia’s public safety net, DBHDD operates six field offices and five hospitals throughout the state within three program areas: behavioral health, developmental disabilities, and hospital services.

This position works out of the Executive office for DBHDD in downtown Atlanta.  

The successful candidate must be a Psychologist (Ph.D. or Psy.D.), licensed or licensed-eligible as a psychologist in Georgia, 5 years of experience in psychological assessment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Job Title: Director of Eligibility

Supervisor: Assistant Director of Developmental Disabilities. 

Individuals Supervised:  All psychologists within the Eligibility Intake and Evaluation Team of the Division of Developmental Disabilities.  Provide extensive support to other Division staff.

Responsibilities:

• Serves as subject matter expert on the diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and eligibility for IDD services.
• Develops and provides internal/external trainings as subject matter expert on the diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and eligibility for IDD services.
• Supervises all psychologists within the Eligibility Intake and Evaluation Team of the Division of Developmental Disabilities
• Provides clinical consultation and oversight of the evaluations of eligibility for IDD services conducted by psychologists in the Division of DD
• Conducts Division reviews of ineligibility determinations upon request.
• Coordinates with DBHDD legal staff on requests for fair hearings of ineligibility determinations
• Provides clinical consultation to DBHDD legal staff on questions from Alliant Health Solutions on IDD eligibility.
• Conducts special reviews of eligibility of individuals in state hospitals, community behavioral health services, or Department of Family and Children Services custody.
• Provides clarification on policies on eligibility for IDD services.
• Serves as subject matter expert on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Assists with program and policy development for services for individuals with ASD.
• Provides clinical consultation in planning services for individuals with ASD.
• Responds to policy, programmatic, and clinical inquiries from department, division, and regional field office staff.
• Provides clinical expert advice and direction for department and division staff.
• Researches and advises direction for Division of DD on IDD program and policies.
• Develops briefing papers for DBHDD senior leadership to support decision making.
• Reviews, edits, and comments on new and revised DBHDD policies and standards.
• Researches national trends in service delivery for individuals with IDD to inform program and policy development in the Division
• Develops and cultivates relationships with a wide variety of national and state contacts to facilitate accomplishing division goals and objectives.
• Analyzes proposed legislation for impact for developmental disabilities.
• Responds to questions or surveys from other states or organizations and participates in conference calls and meetings as requested.
• Participates in DD Divisional special projects and assignments.
• All other duties as assigned.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary & benefits, GA Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities is part of a statewide initiative called Total Rewards that seeks to attract and retain employees by supplementing their base pay and benefits with programs designed to improve the quality of their work environment and lead to greater job satisfaction and work/life balance. Eligible employees are offered generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave. For more information, visit https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/benefits

Employment Requirements
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees, individuals, and communities we serve, certain positions within DBHDD may require evaluations, vaccinations, professional licensure and certifications. Licenses must be current and enable providers to practice within the State of Georgia.

The following are a listing of evaluations and vaccinations that may be required for employees, including those not involved with direct care:

• Drug Screening
• TB Evaluation
• Annual Influenza*

*Limited exemptions may be made for documented medical contraindications or religious beliefs that object to vaccinations.

DBHDD is an Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the policy of DBHDD to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information on application status by phone or e-mail. All qualified applicants will be considered but may not necessarily receive an interview. Selected applicants will be contacted by the hiring agency for next steps in the selection process.

This position is subject to close at any time once a satisfactory applicant pool has been identified.

FOR THIS TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT, STATE LAW REQUIRES A NATIONAL AND STATE BACKGROUND CHECK AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT.  

When applying for this position, you will be asked if you meet the minimum qualifications for this position as stated below and may possibly be presented with additional questions to assess preferred qualifications. Preference will be given to applicants who meet one or more of the preferred qualifications and have demonstrated relevant experience clearly indicated in their work history.

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