Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

This job is also open in another announcement to:

Federal employees - Competitive service

Federal employees - Excepted service

Internal to an agency

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

• Pastoral Care & Counseling

  • Provides comprehensive religious ministry services to Veterans based on their unique needs and preferences.
  • Delivers extended and intensive pastoral counseling, especially for patients facing complex ethical, moral, and spiritual problems.
  • Offers crisis intervention, stabilization, and support for individuals during emergencies and stressful events.
  • Conducts spiritual assessments, creates care plans for moral injury and spiritual distress, and supports holistic treatment of Veterans.
  • Ministers to newly admitted patients, pre-/post-op patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned Veterans.
  • Offers advance care planning education, guidance, and counseling for patients and families.
  • Builds strong, trusting relationships with patients, families, and staff; ensures opportunities for free religious expression and freedom from proselytizing.

• Clinical Integration & Teamwork

  • Fully integrates services with the VA's Chaplain program and participates as a recognized member of the Interdisciplinary Treatment Team (IDT).
  • Collaborates with physicians, nurses, psychologists, therapists, social workers, and other healthcare professionals to enhance patient care.
  • Participates in group consultative discussions about patient progress and treatment plans.

• Leadership, Education & Administration

  • Provides leadership, direction, orientation, training, staff development, and continuing education programs.
  • Supervises, trains, and coaches volunteer groups assisting with Chaplain services.
  • Supports development of staff resiliency, wellness, and educational programs for healthcare staff and trainees.
  • Ensures program effectiveness, modifies service patterns, leads research, and heads clinical teams and special projects.
  • Completes complex administrative assignments and maintains accurate records in the Electronic Health Record Management System (EHRM/CPRS).

• Religious Services & Rituals

  • Conducts comprehensive religious services, worship, and pastoral ministry for multiple faith traditions.
  • Leads various rituals, prayer services, and ceremonies for Veteran patients, families, and staff.
  • Administers ordinances, rites, and sacraments; prepares/delivers sermons; arranges for appropriate worship atmosphere and symbolism.
  • Coordinates worship services across different locations, including chapels and clinical units.

• Pluralism & Diversity

  • Works in a pluralistic environment, showing sensitivity to diverse faith groups and religious beliefs.
  • Collaborates with other Chaplains, religious leaders, and community representatives to meet patients' religious needs.
  • Protects Veterans' rights to religious freedom and safeguards against coercion or proselytizing.

• Community & Outreach

  • Engages with community organizations, local clergy, and family members to ensure comprehensive spiritual care.
  • Maintains and develops strong ties with community resources to support patients' needs beyond the medical facility.
  • Serves as a communication link between the medical center, individual patients, and the community.

• Specialty Services

  • Serves in specialty clinical areas such as Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder, Hospice, Palliative Care, Women's Health, Cancer Centers, Spinal Cord/Polytrauma units, Pain/Infectious Disease Clinics, Whole Health, and more.
  • Provides counseling and pastoral care for issues including moral injury, conscience, family/marital difficulties, justice/institutional matters, terminal diagnoses, depression, anxiety, and more.

• Quality & Professionalism

  • Develops and implements measurable, outcome-driven, evidence-based pastoral care programs.
  • Maintains professional relationships across disciplines, participates in policy and practice guideline development.
  • Assesses and tracks program budgets, supplies, and religious equipment.

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 635-54247A

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

Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS - To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

Citizenship

• Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

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 the 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, from the official national endorsing authority of their faith group or denomination. Endorsement is a written, official statement by that authority certifying good standing and that the individual is qualified to perform ministry 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

• Applicants must be Board-Certified Chaplains by BCCI® or a U.S. certifying body with a reciprocity agreement with BCCI®. Board Certification requiring 4 units of CPE is qualifying. The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved certifications on the National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint. Note: Provisional, Associate, or other candidate status does not meet the requirement for Full Performance Level (FPL) GS-11 or above.

Foreign Education

• Education completed outside the U.S. must be evaluated by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member (see: https://www.naces.org/members) and deemed equivalent to conventional U.S. programs.

English Language Proficiency

• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

GRADE DETERMINATIONS - In addition to the basic requirements above, the following grade-specific criteria apply:

Chaplain, GS-12

• Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-11).
• Specialty Certification: Demonstrated advanced practice/specialization in chaplaincy (beyond board certification), as required for GS-12. Must have specialty certification from a professional chaplain certifying body directly related to the assignment.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):Candidates must demonstrate:
  1. Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty.
  2. Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care.
  3. Skill to seek out primary research and literature that informs ministry specialty and spiritual care practice.
  4. Skill in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of chaplain practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcomes to improve services and design system changes.
  5. Ability to mediate conflict and diffuse moral distress among staff and in complex situations.
  6. Ability to provide specialized consultation, teaching, and mentoring to colleagues and students on advanced spiritual care interventions.
  7. Ability to apply advanced clinical knowledge to write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.

Preferred Experience: Proven experience providing pastoral care in clinical and community settings, with a particular focus on veterans' issues and ministry initiatives such as church planting. Demonstrated leadership, public speaking, and counseling abilities, with a strong capacity to engage effectively in a pluralistic environment. Collaborative team player with experience working alongside healthcare professionals and community organizations to deliver comprehensive spiritual care. Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to develop policies, procedures, and practice guidelines.

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

These vacancies are above the full performance level.

Physical Requirements: This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving throughout the healthcare setting, with or without the use of an assistive device. The Chaplain must be able to speak and hear (hearing aids 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.

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred based on Veterans' Preference.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Clinical Applicant Resume/CV
• Ecclesiastical Endorsement
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Transcript

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

Your resume/CV must include the following information for each job listed (a determination may not be able to be made if these items are missing):

• Job title and Duties
• Month & year, start/end dated (e.g. June 2020 to April 2021)
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Series and Grade, if applicable

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Clinical Applicant Resume/CV
• Ecclesiastical Endorsement
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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