Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to the Public. Veterans Preference applies. Current permanent VA and other Federal employees may apply to announcement CAZP-12947698-26-PAR-HN. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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This Chaplain professional performs clinical assignments for the Veterans Health Administration and provides comprehensive religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff. The Chaplain addresses the spiritual component of health and wellness in every patient care setting to ensure that pastoral care is fully integrated into all aspects of chaplain services.

Major duties of this position include but are not limited to:
Serve as a Chaplain professional providing comprehensive, religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires. Carries out a ministry which is highly integrated into VHA's Chaplain program. Provides thorough guidance and advice to Chaplain Service management staff, other Chaplains, and other stakeholders.
May serve at a facility in a clinical setting, or a small healthcare system, satellite outpatient clinic, other federal agency, or Community Based Out-patient Clinic (CBOC) where there is limited access to onsite supervision.
Provide extended and intensive pastoral counseling as an integral part of the treatment program with patients facing complex, ethical, moral, and spiritual issues.
Ensure program effectiveness and modification of service pattern, which includes research and leadership of clinical teams.
Practice typically in a specialized clinic/program area, that may include intensive and extended pastoral counseling as an integral part of the treatment program, with patients facing complex moral, ethical, or spiritual problems.
Serve as a Chaplain representative and a fully recognized member of an interdisciplinary treatment team (IDT). Advises and collaborates with other members of the IDT to provide comprehensive healthcare services to Veterans.
Work with a full understanding of Chaplains' relationships to the objectives of VHA to successfully integrate the work of the medical facility's staff. Collaborate with and advises the other members of the IDT in the provision of comprehensive healthcare services to Veterans.
Maintain effective rapport with physicians, medical officers, psychologists, nurses, therapists, social workers, or others involved with the IDT. Ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to Veterans and provides the highest quality of care. Provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs.
Serve as a primary Chaplain resource, spiritual advisor, and liaison for the spiritual needs of patients, caregivers, and staff. Conducts comprehensive religious services and worship, pastoral ministry, and administration of Chaplain services.
Lead various complex and sensitive projects, task groups, and assignments to obtain pertinent high-level information needed for Chaplain Service management officials.
Engage as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener, and counselor, especially during times of crisis. Provides emotional support and counseling using empathy and strong interpersonal skills to effectively connect with people of all ages.
Ensure various complex assignments are carried out in a pluralistic environment, which encompasses sensitivity to the religious needs of many separate religious denominations and faith groups.
Provide thorough spiritual leadership, offers prayers, and provides overall religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community. Conduct rituals before groups of people, which requires effective leadership and public speaking skills.
Address the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff. Provides effective counseling services to patients and staff. Conducts regular rounds of hospital wards where patients are critically ill.
Minister to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned Veteran patients. Provides advance care planning education, information, and counsel for patients and their families.
Provide pastoral ministry to patients with respect to the patient's faith group, including conscientious attention during emergencies and crises.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm, with rotating weekends
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 09013F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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 dentification 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: All Chaplains must meet the following basic requirements:

Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Education: Possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational qualifications as evidenced by a graduate-level theological degree from a college, university or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Note: For applicants who do not possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational degree may meet this requirement with an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains. This would include the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI.

Ecclesiastical Endorsement: Possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement to be employed as a VA chaplain and must have an ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months. Ecclesiastical endorsements must be from the official national endorsing authority of the applicant's/employee's faith group or denomination. Ecclesiastical endorsement is a written official statement, by the official national endorsing body of the faith group or denomination, certifying that the applicant is in good standing with the applicant's faith group or denomination; and stating that the individual is, in the opinion of the endorsing body, qualified to perform the full range of ministry required in the VA pluralistic setting.
Loss of endorsement will result in removal from the GS-0060 Chaplain series and may result in termination of employment.https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp
Note: Current VA Chaplains do not have to get updated endorsements after they are hired.

Certification: Applicants must be a Board Certified Chaplain certified by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) ® or nationally recognized certification body that utilizes the BCCI ® Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy or a certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI ®. https://www.professionalchaplains.org/content.asp?pl=198&sl=254&contentid=254

Grandfathering Provision: All Chaplains employed in VHA under permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard (07/03/2025), are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/assignment held, including positive education and certification, where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard, but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

• Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the FPL, or be changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• If an assignment above the FPL level requires an additional certification over and above the basic requirements, employees must meet the assignment-specific requirement before they can be reassigned or promoted.
• 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.
• Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional certification(s) that meets all the basic or assignment-specific qualification requirements of this standard must maintain the required credential(s) as a condition of employment in the occupation.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements, applicants must also meet the following grade requirements.

Grade Determinations:GS-12:
Experience: Possess one full year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level that is directly related to the Chaplain position. Experience may include: Serve as a primary resource and point of contact for spiritual needs of patients, caregivers and staff; provide advance care planning education, information, and counsel for patients and their families; provide guidance and/or support for patients to express values through processes such as life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation; develop pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven, and evidence-based; provide pastoral counseling on medical and ethical matters, including but not limited to, moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties, justice or confinement matters, terminal diagnoses, or crisis; support development of staff resiliency by providing emotional and spiritual support and compassionate presence and develop programs for staff development and wellness; provide education and equip other healthcare staff and trainees to screen for spiritual and religious needs, and importance of appropriate referrals to chaplains for complex spiritual distress; coordinate with community organizations to ensure the provision of comprehensive spiritual care, and engage community resources to meet religious needs of patients that cannot be met by chaplain staff.

Specialty Certification. Specialty certification is demonstrated advanced practice and/or specialization in chaplaincy beyond the board certification. You must possess a Specialty Certification from a professional chaplain certifying body that is directly related to the assignment is qualifying for a senior chaplain assignment.. The list of Board Certifying Chaplain Organizations and Specialty Certifying Organization is located here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience and specialty certification requirements, candidates must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty.
• Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care.
• Skill to seek out primary research and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice.
• Skill in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of chaplain practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.
• Ability to mediate conflict, hold various emotions and diffuse moral distress among staff and complex crisis situations.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation, teaching and mentoring to colleagues and students on advanced spiritual care interventions in the service delivery area.
• Ability to apply advanced clinical knowledge to write policies, procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: The Chaplain must meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving within the healthcare setting or by using an assistive device. The Chaplain is required to speak, hear (hearing aid permitted) and work closely with others.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.