Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current, permanent employees of VANTHCS, and VISN 17 only. This is an interdisciplinary announcement, and Kinesiotherapist should apply to CAZM and Physical Therapists should apply to CAZM. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

The Supervisory Occupational Therapist provides direct supervision to diverse rehabilitation staff (OT, PT, KT) in the Community Living Center (CLC), the Comprehensive Integrated Inpatient Rehabilitation Program (CIIRP), the Amputee Specialty Program (ASP), Home Based Primary Care Program (HBPC) and Medical Foster Home (MFH) programs. The programs indicated provide services in many specialty programs such as: Inpatient Intensive Rehab, Long Term Care short stay rehab, hospice and palliative care, CIIRP Post discharge clinic, geriatric, neurology, amputation, pain management, spine care, cognitive and psychological impairments, Mental health/PTSD management; and acute and chronic medical, surgical and neurological impairments and home care. Additional responsibilities include oversight and administrative management of all patient care services (nursing, psychologist, social worker, physician, etc.) provided in CIIRP program.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Oversees the development of rehabilitation programs, the coordination of therapy services, and the integration of other services
• Supervises and assigns work in assigned programs to lead therapists, clinical specialists, PTs, PT Assistants, OTs, OT Assistants, KTs, KT Assistants, trainees, and volunteers in the delivery and/or support of treatment and education of patients and families.
• Directs patient care needs; assigns caseload of patients from diverse PM&R programs with varied diagnoses and complexity levels; and is accountable for clinic access (timeliness) performance measures.
• Coordinates with Lead therapist(s), Rehabilitation Coordinator(s), Clinical Specialists and other services, treatment schedule, the delivery of care interventions and care plan that involves patients from different age groups (from young adult to geriatric patients).
• Evaluates the effectiveness of treatment services provided; develops innovative programs/services to meet the changing needs of the Veteran population and reviews effectiveness of existent programs/services.
• Identifies training needs in treatment techniques and health care technology advances; supports and/or initiates education to staff through in-service training and continuing education attendance. Oversees staff to assure training in required performance measures and monitors needs for re- training.
• Facilitates a cooperative working relationship; and maintains effective communication with medical and allied health care providers.
• Serves as a rehabilitation consultant/subject matter expert to PM&R staff, VANTHCS providers, VISN representatives, other VA and Non-VA Health Care Institutions, schools and others.
• Coordinates therapy services and ensure operational oversight and management of the following: CIIRP follow up clinic, HBPC and Non-HBPC Home Health Services, CIIRP, Hospice and ASP unit/programs.
• Provides cost-effective utilization of resources within the program, resulting in increased program effectiveness and avoidance of waste of valuable resources
• The Supervisor of Program II is responsible for program development and the supervision of therapists (PT/OT/KT) at PM&RS various locations within VANTHCS.
• He/she ensures organizational adherence to the policies on ethical conduct and oversees compliance with TJC, CARF, OSHA, OIG, MOS, FSOD and other (internal and external) regulatory standards and accrediting bodies.
• Develops, manages, and implements policies and procedures to assure compliance of CIIRP program with CARF accreditation requirements.
• He/she ensures organizational adherence to the policies on ethical conduct and oversees compliance with TJC, CARF, OSHA, OIG, MOS, FSOD and other (internal and external) regulatory standards and accrediting bodies.
• Develops, manages, and implements policies and procedures to assure compliance of CIIRP program with CARF accreditation requirements.
• He/she is responsible for determining resource needs, allocating resources, ensuring proper utilization in productivity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the service operation. Manages assigned personnel ceiling, distributes personnel resources to achieve efficient and effective therapy services. Initiates and monitors corrective action plans when efficiency and effective delivery of care is reduced or when access is beyond policy or performance measure.
• Collaborates with PT/OT/KT Clinical Education Coordinators and the VANTHCS ACOS for Education in the implementation of educational training programs, reviewing affiliation agreements, setting up clinical education assignments to the program, participating on onboarding process and timekeeping, developing clinical instructors' education competencies, reviewing annual local and National reports.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm, Occasional weekends and Holidays
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

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.
• 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.
Education and/or Experience.
(1) The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:
(a) 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
(b) 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
(c) Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.
(2) 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. Degree programs may be verified by contacting the American Occupational Therapy Association website or at their office address: American Occupational Therapy Association, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220.
Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements of subparagraph 3b(2) if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted license.
Certification. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT.
State Licensure. Candidates must possess] a full, current, and unrestricted state license, to practice occupational therapy in a state, territory or Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or in the District of Columbia

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: Supervisory Occupational Therapist, GS-14

Experience: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level and directly related to the position being filled.

Examples of experience: Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy across multiple areas of practice. Ability to set priorities, delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, and balance responsibilities. 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. 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. 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. Ability to effectively motivate and manage a clinical staff with widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:
a. Knowledge of evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines in multiple professional areas [ ] to use these resources to guide the program staff in providing clinically appropriate treatment interventions.
b. Skill in interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution in dealing with employees, team leaders, and administrators.
c. Ability to manage [resources] for a large, integrated service including not only occupational therapy, but also other focused rehabilitation, ancillary, or other health care services.
d. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a group of professional staff.
e. Ability to translate extensive rehabilitation knowledge into cogent and useful policy in complex facilities and/or across multiple sites.
f. Skill in providing clinical and administrative oversight and supervision of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs in complex facilities and/or across
multiple sites.
g. Ability to collaborate with strategic planning committees at local, VISN or national levels for new ventures addressing patient care delivery systems, facilities management, and system reorganizations.

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-14.

Physical Requirements:
Should have the ability to perform repetitive physical activities:

• Up to 4-6 hours of the following: sitting, walking, standing, twisting, bending, stooping, reaching, reaching overhead, grasping and pinching with hands and fine manipulation, such as typing/keyboarding.
• Up to 1-2 hours of the following: straight pulling, puling hand over hand, pushing, climbing and kneeling.

Required lifting light to moderate (up to 44 pounds) and carrying light to moderate (up to 44 pounds).Required functional hearing with/without hearing aids, Near vision correctable at 13-16", Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, the ability to use both eyes, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors.
Use of fingers, both hands and use of both legs.
Sitting is required for meetings, administrative work and occasionally driving motor vehicle most of the day. The ability to drive is required.
The position demands significant physical stress and strain such as transferring patients, crouching and crawling on mats, and occasionally defending self against combative patients assigned to the incumbent.
Work may require good physical health, normal use of arms and legs and good visual and auditory acuity, to evaluate and treat patients, and to use computer, keyboard, monitor, phone, etc.
Work is performed in the clinics, wards, exercise areas, office and conference rooms, occasionally in the home. May be exposed to infectious diseases, medical and psychiatric emergencies

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.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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 (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• 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.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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