Chaplain

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Alexandria (LA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Endorsing body support

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Chaplain to provide pastoral counseling and spiritual care to Veteran patients, their families and staff in inpatient and outpatient settings across VISNs and clinics.

This role requires board certification, ecclesiastical endorsement, and eligibility for the GS-9 to GS-11 grade; candidates must meet VA education requirements and maintain endorsement, with duties focusing on crisis support, spiritual assessments, and collaboration with health care

Qualifications

• Knowledge of spiritual assessments to identify patient strengths and needs and documenting services.
• Ability to create care plans in all dimensions of pastoral care based on assessments.
• Crisis intervention and stabilization skills.
• Healthcare team collaboration to update treatment plans addressing spiritual issues.
• Knowledge of free exercise of religion for patients and staff.
• Knowledge of referrals for continuity of spiritual care.
• Coordination of religious services respecting patients' faith traditions.
• Strong verbal and written communication with diverse backgrounds.

Responsibilities

• Provide pastoral counseling and spiritual care to Veteran patients, their families, and staff.
• Deliver services in inpatient and outpatient settings within VISNs, clinics, and domiciles.
• Collaborate with chaplaincy services and interdisciplinary teams to support comprehensive care.

Skills

Spiritual assessment

Pastoral care planning

Crisis intervention

Healthcare team collaboration

Religious accommodation

Spiritual referrals

Religious services coordination

Verbal and written communication

Education

Master of Divinity or equivalent

Job description

The Chaplain provides pastoral counseling and treatment to Veteran patients, patient's families and staff in various inpatient and outpatient settings. The position provides services within various settings, including Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), Inpatient Clinics, Outpatient Clinics and domicile(s) throughout the United States. 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: 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 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.
• 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.

Exception for Non-Board-Certified Chaplains.

• (a) Non-Board-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements, may be given a temporary appointment as a Chaplain under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2) not to exceed 2 years.
• (b) Non-Board-Certified Chaplains must provide proof of completion of 4 units of CPE as required by an approved board certifying body.
• (c) Non-Board-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified Chaplain at or above the FPL.
• (d) Non-Board-Certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. Temporary appointments of non-board-certified Chaplains may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment. Failure to obtain board certification during this time may result in separation from employment.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: (KSAs must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level).

Chaplain, GS-09:

Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• (a) Knowledge of spiritual assessments to identify patient strengths and needs and documenting services provided.
• (b) Ability to use the information of the spiritual assessment to create care plans in all dimensions of pastoral care.
• (c) Ability to provide crisis intervention and stabilization.
• (d) Skill in health care team collaboration to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual issues.
• (e) Ability to ensure free exercise of religion for patients and staff.
• (f) Knowledge of individual and group interventions to address spiritual and emotional needs of patients and families; providing referrals for continuity of spiritual care.
• (g) Skill in the coordination of religious services respecting the faith tradition of individual patients.
• (h) Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with persons of varied backgrounds.

Chaplain, GS-11:

Experience: One (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

Demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to meeting to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• (a) Knowledge of advance care planning to educate, inform, and counsel patients and families.
• (b) Skill in guiding patients in verbalizing and expressing values through life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation.
• (c) Ability to develop pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome driven and evidenced based within the department guidelines.
• (d) Skill in counseling on medical and ethical issues, terminal diagnoses or crises, moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties, and justice or confinement matters.
• (e) Ability to support the development of staff resiliency and develop programs for staff development and wellness by providing spiritual and emotional support.
• (f) Ability to educate and equip health care staff and trainees screening for spiritual and religious needs of patients and the importance of appropriate referrals to chaplains for complex spiritual distress.
• (g) Knowledge of community needs to coordinate with community organizations to provide comprehensive spiritual care, utilizing outside community resources to meet the religious needs of patients that cannot be met by chaplain staff.

Preferred Experience:

None

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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements:

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment:

Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.