Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This is a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT and is open to all Open to all US Citizens. If you are a current permanent employee of Department of Veterans Affairs, current permanent VA Nationwide employees; current permanent Federal employees from other agencies, please apply to job announcement CBSY-12935209-26-TC.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• The coordinator selects and coordinates the acquisition of SPHM equipment and provides expertise to all individuals and workgroups involved in patient handling.
• They establish and maintain local SPHM procedures, evaluate and direct program activities, and ensure alignment with local, regional, and national standards, including Joint Commission requirements and VHA
• The incumbent oversees SPHM orientation for new employees and ongoing staff training and competency assessments. They lead and mentor SPHM peer leaders across all shifts, ensure access to training resources, and support adequate time for equipment checks and staff training.
• As a Clinical Occupational Therapist, the incumbent demonstrates competence in current OT practice, addressing physical, occupational, cognitive, and psychosocial functional deficits. They independently apply clinical reasoning and problem-solving to adapt assessments, treatment plans, and intervention strategies.
• The incumbent selects standardized assessments as appropriate and develop individualized treatment plans with clear, measurable, functional, and Veteran-centered goals.
• The incumbent will monitor progress, document outcomes, modify interventions as needed, and educate Veterans and families on treatment benefits and risks. They discontinue services appropriately and develop comprehensive discharge plans that may include follow-up resources, adaptive equipment, environmental modifications, and community referrals.
• The incumbent collaborates effectively with Veterans, families, and interdisciplinary team members, and communicates clearly with both internal and external stakeholders. Documentation is completed in accordance with facility and VHA policies and standards from The Joint Commission.
• The incumbent will review occupational therapy consults for appropriateness, educate referral sources, use appropriate screening methods, and refer to other professionals when necessary. They identify environmental barriers in both facility and home settings and assist with resolving issues that interfere with service delivery.
• The incumbent maintains clinic cleanliness and equipment functionality, enforces all safety procedures, and ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations. They provide OT services to both inpatient and outpatient Veterans, including training in orthoses, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and physical agent modalities. They serve as a resource on occupational therapy practices, maintain state licensure, participate in continuing education, and perform other assigned duties.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday; 0730-1600
Telework: Ad-hoc only
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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:

• 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: Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Licensure Requirement: Applicant must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice Occupational Therapy in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
• Education Requirement:
• Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) years of experience as an occupational therapist;
• NOTE: The baccalaureate degree must be from an approved program prior to the AOTA January 1, 2005 decision that the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) would only accredit master or doctoral degree programs in occupational therapy.

OR

• Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy and two (2) full years of graduate education in a related field;
• NOTE: The baccalaureate degree must be from an approved program prior to the AOTA January 1, 2005 decision that ACOTE would only accredit master or doctoral degree programs in occupational therapy.

OR

• Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy. Individuals must be a graduate of] a degree program in occupational therapy approved by the ACOTE or predecessor organizations. This is inclusive of an internship (supervised fieldwork experience required by the educational institution).ACOTE is the only accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
• Certification: NBCOT certification as an occupational therapist

Education and Experience Requirement:
Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level and directly related to the position being filled.

Occupational Therapists applying for this position must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Occupational Therapist Program Coordinator GS-13
(a) Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy within specialty area to provide clinical guidance, training, or education for internal and external stakeholders.
(b) Ability to set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, and balance responsibilities.
(c) Ability to articulate and communicate the assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, and objectives; as well as provide direction on work methods, practices and procedures in administration and/or education methodologies.
(d) Ability to monitor and report on the status and progress of work, evaluate the program to ensure that methods, deadlines and quality have been met, and ensure adjustments to the work process are in accordance with priorities.
(e) Ability to develop and coordinate treatment and/or educational programs within a concentrated field or specialty area, such as amputee, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, student clinical education/residency programming, polytrauma/traumatic or brain injury.
(f) Ability to effectively motivate and manage a diverse clinical staff with widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.

References: OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0631 VA HANDBOOK 5005/127 PART II APPENDIX G14

Preferred Experience: Knowledge of Safe Patient Handling equipment

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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.

How you will be evaluated

1. 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:

• License
• 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.

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)
• License
• *Highly Recommended* Write to the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) on a separate document - KSAs are found under qualification/grade requirements in the announcement.
• Resume/CV exceeding two-pages
• Resume
• SF-15
• Transcript

Next steps