Qualifications

NOTE: THE 2-PAGE RESUME REQUIREMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO REQUIRED DOCUMENTS BELOW. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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
• Education: Applicants must 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, an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains (see paragraph d) is acceptable
• Ecclesiastical Endorsement: In accordance with 38 C.F.R
• 17.655, ecclesiastical endorsement is a condition of employment as a VA chaplain
• An individual must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement to be employed as a VA chaplain
• Applicants 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
• The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved endorsing organizations that can be found here: National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint
• Board Certification: Certification
• Applicants must be a Board-Certified Chaplain certified by BCCI or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI
• Board Certification that requires 4 units of CPE is qualifying
• The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved certifications found on the National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint
• 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
• Loss of Credential: Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain any of the required certifications (board certification, ecclesiastical endorsement, or when applicable a speciality certification) of the duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation which may also result in separation from employment
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at https://www.naces.org/members and be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Grade Determinations: Chaplain, GS-12 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade
• Specialty Certification: Specialty certification is demonstrated advanced practice and/or specialization in chaplaincy beyond the board certification and is required for the GS-12 grade level
• Specialty certification from a professional chaplain certifying body that is directly related to the assignment is qualifying for a senior chaplain assignment
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience 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
• Assignment: For all assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must be of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• This assignment is a senior chaplain
• Senior chaplain assignments may include serving at a facility in clinical settings where there is limited access to onsite supervision such as small health care systems, Community Based Outpatient Clinics, other Federal agencies or satellite outpatient clinics
• Senior chaplains typically practice in a specialized 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
• The senior chaplain may be assigned administrative responsibility to independently develop and implement programs and curriculum
• They are accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns, which may include research and leadership of clinical teams
• The senior chaplain works with full understanding of its relationship to the objectives of the institution, and to successfully integrate it with the work of the institutional staff, collaborates with and advises the other senior members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality
• The senior chaplain provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned chaplain staff
• This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management
• This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and should not be used as the FPL of this occupation
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12
• Physical Requirements: This work requires moderate lifting (15-44lbs) and hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Environmental factors are working alone and in protracted or irregular hours of work.