Summary This Chaplain under the Associate Director of Patient Services provides complete religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires and is located at the Central Western Massachusetts VA Medical Facility in Leeds Ma. Duties
Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Serves as a Chaplain professional providing complete religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires.
- Serves as a primary resource, spiritual advisor and point of contact for the spiritual needs of patients, caregivers, and staff.
- Conducts religious services and worship, pastoral ministry, and administration of Chaplain services.
- Engages as a spiritual leader, a compassionate listener and counselor, especially during times of crisis.
- Provides emotional support and counseling using empathy and strong interpersonal skills to effectively connect with people of all ages.
- Ensures assignments are carried out in a pluralistic environment, which encompasses sensitivity to the religious needs of many separate religious denominations and faith groups.
- Leads and offers prayers and religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community.
- Conduct rituals in front of groups of people, which requires effective leadership and public speaking skills.
- Uses leadership skills to lead prayer and religious services.
- Addresses the religious, spiritual, moral, and ethical problems of patients and staff.
- Provides counseling services to patients and staff.
- Conducts regular rounds of hospital wards where patients are critically ill.
- Ministers to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned veteran patients.
- Provides advance care planning education, information, and counsel for patients and their families.
- Serves as a fully recognized member of an integrated multi-professional treatment team.
- Maintains liaison with physicians, medical officers, psychologists, nurses, therapists, social workers, or others involved to exchange information relative to the background and current condition of patients.
- Supervises, trains and coaches volunteer groups who offer their services as assistants as needed.
- Engages in group consultative discussions or conferences with these professionals to evaluate and review the patient's progress.
- Collaborates with treatment team professionals to discuss the recommended course of action, and other informed advice to attain the necessary therapeutic goals for the patient.
- Provides pastoral counseling on medical and ethical matters, including moral injury, problems of conscience, family or marital difficulties, justice or confinement matters, terminal diagnoses, or crisis.
- Addresses fears that patients have when facing surgery and answers questions regarding the meaning of life when confronted with the reality of pain, illness, permanent disfigurement, crippling, or death.
- Provides religious instruction for patients through various means, such as individual or group discussion, faith based classes, instructional classes, and tutoring for courses completed by correspondence.
- Collaborates with healthcare teams to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual distress, grief, and loss as existential concerns to enhance holistic care.
- Performs a variety of intervention methods, including individual and group intervention, to address the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families.
- Provides crisis intervention and stabilization as required.
- Provides support for individual(s) or unit emergencies, natural disasters, man-made disasters or planned special events.
- Spends minimally 70% of time in patient care
Work Schedule: 40 hours per week, 8:00am -4:30pm,with rotating weekends/holidays/days off and subject to other tours as needed.
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: FS-1857
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Notifications:
- Valid Drivers License needed.
- The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's.
- May be required to attend conference at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion.
- Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
Qualifications
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: 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 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.
- Exception for Non-Board-Certified Chaplains:
- 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.
- Non-Board-Certified Chaplains must provide proof of completion of 4 units of CPE as required by an approved board certifying body.
- Non-Board-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified Chaplain at or above the FPL.
- 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: In all cases, Chaplains must actively work to meet requirements for board certification starting from the date of their placement into the occupation. At the time of appointment, the HR Office staff in collaboration with the supervisor will provide the employee with the written requirements for board certification, including the time by which the board certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming board certified by the deadline. Failure to obtain board certification during this time may result in separation from employment.
- 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 specialty certification) of the duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation which may also result in separation from employment.
- English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
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 Determination:
Chaplain, GS-11:Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to meeting to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
- Knowledge of advance care planning to educate, inform, and counsel patients and families.
- Skill in guiding patients in verbalizing and expressing values through life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation.
- Ability to develop pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven and evidenced based within the department guidelines.
- 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.
- Ability to support the development of staff resiliency and develop programs for staff development and wellness by providing spiritual and emotional support.
- 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.
- 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: Chaplain with experience working with Veterans in-patient and out-patient settings, including community-based outpatient clinics. Easily adaptable; may serve at a facility in a clinical setting, a small healthcare system, or a Community- Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Ability to administer the Sacrament of the Sick(Last Rites, Extreme Unction, or Viaticum).
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.
Physical Requirements: This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving within the healthcare setting or with the incumbent using an assistive device. The Chaplain is required to speak, hear (hearing aid permitted) and work closely with others. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
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.Requirements
- 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation..
- 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.How you will be evaluated 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 to apply All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/12/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13108693.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Other information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.