Summary The Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) staff position is in the Occupational Therapy Department of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS) in the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care Systems (CAVHCS). The licensed COTA provides treatment that promotes the function, prevention, remediation, and rehabilitation of acute and chronic physical, cognitive, and psychological dysfunction under the direction of the Occupational Therapist.
Duties
- Organizing, coordinating, and management of Level I OT students, volunteers, and job shadows.
- Coordinates schedules with the therapists, and orients all new Level I OT students, volunteers, and job shadows for the OT department.
- Manages daily duties and responsibilities of the Level I OT students, volunteers, and job shadows.
- Serves as a mentor to OT students, other COTA's and therapists evaluating and treating patients in the specialty or program area.
- Receives and interprets requests or instructions for procedures from the occupational therapist or physician.
- Plans and implements specialized treatment programs and apply occupational therapy procedures to patients under the general supervision of an occupational therapist.
- Completes a preliminary review/examination of patient data (including medical history), compiles and organizes pertinent information, and develop/presents a patient profile to be used in assessing patient's status.
- Assists with or renders a course of treatment based on the assessed needs of the patient, developing progressive types of occupational therapy treatment programs.
- May assist the occupational therapist in development and implementation of a comprehensive specialized treatment plan that includes long-and short-term goals.
- Interacts with the patients and family regarding goals for treatment.
- Assists in the performance of, or independently performs, highly specialized and diversified treatment procedures within the OTA Practice Act.
- Instructs, motivates, and assists patients to learn activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living, to improve the functional performance and safety of these activities.
- Utilizes the full range of modalities including heat, cold, and sound demonstrate competence.
- Administers self-care management activities and active passive therapeutics exercise.
- Assesses for and trains on the setup and use of durable medical equipment and assistive devices.
- Fits, adjusts, and instructs patients in use of orthoses, prostheses, and mobility appliances.
- Cleans, prepares, and maintains appropriate equipment and supplies required for these treatments, and as assigned by supervisor.
- Prepares and presents written oral reports for health care providers, nursing staff, fellow therapists, and all other professionals concerned with the patient's care.
- Participates in family and multidisciplinary team meetings.
- Represent the Occupational Therapy Department on different multidisciplinary teams, committees, groups, as assigned, communicating directly with team members including physicians, nursing personnel, social workers, dietician, psychologists and other health care disciplines.
- Responsible for all the maintenance, inventory, clinic safety, and day-to-day functions of the OT areas.
- Ensures adequate levels of all materials and therapy supplies are available for patient utilization and clinical operation.
Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Work schedule subject to change based on agency needs.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 60203F.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- Education: Individuals must meet at least one of the requirements below:
(1) Associate's (or higher) degree in occupational therapy from a college or university accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
(2) Completion of a military training program in an OTA program accredited by the ACOTE.
- Certification. OTAs must have written documentation that they have passed the entry-level certification examination for OTAs administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
- Licensure. OTAs must hold a full, current, and unrestricted state license to practice occupational therapy in a State, Territory, a Commonwealth of the United States (i.e. Puerto Rico) or in the District of Columbia.
- Loss of Credential. Management officials, in collaboration with Human Resource (HR) Office staff must remove employees in this occupation who fail to maintain the required state or territorial licensure and the NBCOT certification, both current and in good standing, which may result in termination of employment.
- Exceptions for Non-Certified or Non-Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant.
(1) OTAs who graduated from an ACOCTE approved occupational therapy assistant program but do not possess the NBCOT certification and/or licensure requirements, may be appointed, pending licensure and/or NBCOT certification on a full-time temporary appointment under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(B) and not to exceed two years in accordance with the timeframe in 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2).
(2) OTAs may provide care only under the direct supervision of a licensed OTA or OT who meets all state regulatory requirements.
(3) Temporary OTA appointments may not be extended beyond two years.
- Failure to Obtain License. n all cases, uncertified and/or unlicensed OTAs must actively pursue meeting certification requirements and/or State prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the HR Office staff will provide the uncertified and/or unlicensed OTA the written requirements for licensure and/or certification, the date by which the license and/or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed and/or certified by the deadline. OTAs who fail to obtain a license and/or certification by the prescribed date will be removed from their OTA, GS-0636 position, which may result in termination of employment.
NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts, licensure, and certification with your application package.
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: Occupational Therapy Assistant, GS-08.
Experience: One year of creditable experience comparable to the next lower grade level.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Ability to implement delegated assessments.
(b) Ability to provide reports of observations and patient performance.
(c) Ability to use complex therapeutic techniques and interventions, utilizing problem-solving skills to maximize patient's functional status.
(d) Ability to modify therapeutic interventions for simple and complex cases with a wide range of diagnoses and disabilities.
(e) Ability to recommend complex adaptive and assistive devices and durable medical equipment.
(f) Ability to consult with health care practitioners about the patient's treatment plan and the occupational therapy scope of practice and services.
Assignment. Employees at this grade level serve as a full performance level OTA. OTAs at this level receive minimum guidance from the OT and seek guidance for more complex patients and specialized treatment procedures. They contribute to the screening, evaluation and re-evaluation process by administering delegated assessments and reporting observations and patient performance to the OT. OTAs plan, coordinate and administer occupational therapy treatment for prevention, remediation and rehabilitation of diverse diagnoses in all practice areas to both individuals and groups as well as develop and implement new programs. They recommend and modify assistive devices and instruct patients on their care and use to ensure optimal performance. OTAs independently provide patient education on areas of occupation, assistive devices and orthotics based on patient's and families' level of cognition, cultural 7 and/or behavioral variables. OTAs collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to make recommendations for the patient's rehabilitation, reintegration and disposition needs. They develop, participate in and ensure compliance with quality improvement activities through participation in medical center/section committees as delegated.
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-8.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. 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/.Requirements
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- 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 identification 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.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 11/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13111973.
- 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 Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
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.
