Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, and current permanent Federal employees of other agencies. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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The Chaplain serves as a professional spiritual care provider and member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, delivering comprehensive religious ministry and pastoral care services to Veteran patients, families, caregivers, and staff.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provide comprehensive spiritual assessments, pastoral counseling, crisis intervention, and religious ministry services to Veterans with complex spiritual, moral, ethical, and emotional concerns.

• Deliver specialized chaplaincy services in clinical settings, including mental health, substance use disorder, hospice and palliative care, women's health, cancer treatment, spinal cord injury, whole health, and other specialty programs.

• Serve as an active member of interdisciplinary treatment teams, collaborating with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, therapists, and other healthcare professionals to support holistic patient care.

• Conduct religious services, worship ceremonies, prayers, sacraments, rites, rituals, memorials, and other faith-based activities in accordance with Veterans' religious preferences and traditions.

• Provide bedside ministry and pastoral support to newly admitted patients, surgical patients, critically ill patients, patients facing end-of-life issues, and their families.

• Counsel patients and families regarding advance care planning, moral injury, grief, loss, suffering, life transitions, terminal illness, and other spiritual and ethical concerns.

• Ensure Veterans are afforded opportunities for the free exercise of religion while protecting patients from religious coercion, discrimination, or proselytization.

• Coordinate and facilitate access to religious resources by collaborating with community clergy, faith leaders, congregations, volunteers, and community organizations to meet identified spiritual care needs.

• Develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based pastoral care programs, spiritual wellness initiatives, staff resiliency programs, and educational activities that support patient and staff well-being.

• Provide consultation, guidance, training, and education to healthcare staff, trainees, volunteers, and chaplain colleagues regarding spiritual care, religious concerns, ethical issues, and appropriate referral processes.

• Lead and participate in complex projects, program initiatives, task groups, and quality improvement activities supporting Chaplain Service operations and organizational priorities.

• Document chaplaincy interventions, spiritual assessments, treatment recommendations, and patient encounters in the electronic health record in accordance with department and regulatory requirements.

• Maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and serve as a liaison between the medical center, patients, families, faith communities, and community organizations.

• Provide emergency, disaster, and crisis response support for patients, families, staff, and healthcare teams during critical incidents, emergencies, and special events.

• Assist with administrative functions, program management activities, volunteer coordination, resource management, scheduling, reporting, and other duties necessary to support Chaplain Service operations.

• Spend a minimum of 70% of work time providing direct patient care services.

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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Physical Examination: May be required, depending on the needs of the organization.
• 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.

Qualifications

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 - Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Education: 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) (https://www.chea.org/) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) (https://www.ats.edu/) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • 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.
• Endorsement: Applicants must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement and must be dated within the past 12 months. A complete list of Ecclesiastical Organizations that the Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes as Ecclesiastical Endorsing Organizations is available here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Ecclesiastical_Endorsement.asp
  • Current VA Chaplains do not have to get updated endorsements after they are hired.
• Certification: Applicants must be a Board-Certified Chaplain by the Board of Chaplaincy Certifications Inc. (BCCI), or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI. Board Certification that requires four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is qualifying. https://www.apchaplains.org/bcci-site/.
  • Note: Provisional or Associate or other status as a candidate for board certification does not meet the board certification requirement for the FPL GS-11 or above.

1. Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify at the GS-12 level, you must possess at least one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).
2. 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 position being filled. 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
3. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience and specialty certification requirements above, the candidate 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.

• At least three years of experience in providing spiritual care to patients in pre-surgery status, critical care, palliative care, and hospice.
• Hospice and Palliative Care Specialty Certification, or its equivalent, preferred.

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.