Chaplain

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 : Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d) of the VA Handbook 5005. Ecclesiastical Endorsement : Candidates must have ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months, from the official national endorsing authority of their faith group or denomination. For the purpose of this standard, 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 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.

Education: Candidates must possess the Master of Divinity degree, normally based upon completion of 3 years of graduate study, or possess equivalent educational qualifications. Equivalent educational qualifications means possession of a bachelor's degree of at least 120 semester hours plus successful completion of 70 semester hours of graduate study which included or was supplemented by all of the following: 20 semester hours of pastoral ministry (examples: homiletics, preaching, ministry, pastoral counseling, supervised ministry and/or practice); 20 semester hours in any combination of theology, ethics, and philosophy of religion; 10 semester hours in religious history or world religions; and 20 semester hours in the study of sacred or religious writings, including the study of languages in which sacred or religious writings are written.

NOTE: Education achieved prior to the issuance of this standard that included the post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Divinity or Bachelor of Sacred Theology Degrees is generally considered substitutable for the Master of Divinity Degree. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) : Candidates must have completed at least two units of CPE as defined by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) or have equivalent training. Equivalent training is not less than 800 hours of supervised ministry in a health-care setting, such as a hospital or nursing home, which incorporated both ministry formation and pastoral care skills development. Combinations of CPE and appropriate supervised ministry which total 800 hours meet this CPE requirement. GS-12: Chaplain Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. In addition to meeting the requirements above, must have 1 year of progressively responsible specialized professional experience equivalent in complexity and responsibility to the GS-11 level. This experience must have demonstrated the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): (a) Ability to apply relevant theories and methodologies to their ministry specialty. (b) Ability to integrate specialized psychological and sociological theory with an advanced approach to spiritual care. (c) Skill to seek out primary research and research literature that informs the ministry specialty and one's spiritual care practice. (d) Skill in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of chaplain practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. ( e) Ability to mediate conflict, hold various emotions and diffuse moral distress among staff and complex crisis situations. (f) Ability to provide specialized consultation, teaching and mentoring to colleagues and students on advanced spiritual care interventions in the service delivery area (g) Ability to apply advanced clinical knowledge to write policies, procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005 Part II, Appendix G67

Physical Requirements: Applicants must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Work Environment Work is primarily performed indoors where there is adequate air supply, lighting, heating and/or cooling. Work may involve exposure to infection and possible contagious diseases. Standard precautions and isolation techniques will be employed as indicated. There is occasion where response to physical and/or verbal abuse by patients requires knowledge gained from ongoing violence in the workplace training. All persons currently employed as permanent GS-060 VA Chaplains on the effective date of this standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the position held. They may be promoted, demoted, or reassigned within the GS-060 occupational series because they are considered to have met those qualification requirements. Any employee initially retained in this manner who leaves this job series loses this protected status and must meet the full requirements of this standard in effect at the time of reentry.