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Position Title
Chaplain - Temporary
Agency
Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBSY-11525643-22-HMP Opens in new window
Open Period
Monday, June 6, 2022 to Friday, September 30, 2022
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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2. Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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Preferences
1. Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?

If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
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2. Would you accept a temporary appointment? (limit characters)
3. Are you willing to undergo a pre-employment physical? (limit characters)
Accuracy of Application Reminder:
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
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4. Are you willing to accept an Intermittent appointment? Intermittent employment is defined as non-fulltime employment in which employees serve under an excepted or competitive service appointment without a regularly scheduled tour of duty. A position with an intermittent work schedule is sporadic and unpredictable so that a tour of duty cannot be regularly scheduled in advance. (limit characters)
5. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English? (limit characters)
TRANSCRIPT REMINDER - If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application. (limit characters)
6. Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
  • Job title
  • Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2019 to April 2021)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week if part-time)
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held.
Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Do you confirm that the above information is clearly stated for each work entry you are claiming experience for, and that each entry is full time unless otherwise annotated with part-time hours?
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If applying as an internal or status candidate with current or former Federal Service, you must provide a copy of your most recent non-award SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action", showing the highest grade or promotion potential held, dated within the last year.
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All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document. Please see the announcement for KSA requirements.
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Assessment 1
Thank you for your interest in a temporary, intermittent Chaplain position with the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Please answer the following questions by selecting the most appropriate response. You must submit the required documentation to verify your eligibility as indicated below. Failure to provide the required documents will render you not eligible for consideration. See instructions under the "How to Apply" tab for submitting documentation.

NOTE: Intermittent employment is defined as non-fulltime employment in which employees serve under an excepted or competitive service appointment without a regularly scheduled tour of duty. A position with an intermittent work schedule is sporadic and unpredictable so that a tour of duty cannot be regularly scheduled in advance.
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Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
1. 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. COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED.

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 (BCCI or Equivalent) is acceptable.

Do you meet the education requirement as described above?
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2. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE): Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE): Applicants must have completed four units of CPE from a CPE center that is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. CPE documentation must be provided in application packet.

CPE Accepted Documents: Either the cover page to the final evaluation summary of a CPE unit or the certificate of a CPE unit. Currently only Association for CPE (ACPE) CPEs and Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training (ICPT) CPE Units are accredited by the US Department of Education.

Do you meet the CPE requirement as described above
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3. Ecclesiastical Endorsement: 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: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp. COPY OF ECCLISIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT REQUIRED.

Do you meet the ecclesiastical endorsement requirement as described above?
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4. Board Certification: Are you a Board Certified Chaplain certified by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) ® or nationally recognized certification body that utilizes the BCCI ® Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy or a certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI ®?

Exception: Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may begiven a temporary appointment under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2) for a period not to exceed two years. This exception only applies at the entry level. For the journey level and above, the candidate must have board certification.
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Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
5. GS-09 Qualifications: In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must demonstrate the following KSAs to be found qualified at the GS-09 grade level:

i. Knowledge of spiritual assessments to identify patient strengths and needs and documenting services provided.
ii. Ability to use the information of the spiritual assessment to create care plans in all dimensions of pastoral care.
iii. Ability to provide crisis intervention and stabilization.
iv. Skill in healthcare team collaboration to create and update treatment plans to address spiritual issues.
v. Ability to ensure free exercise of religion for patients and staff.
vi. Knowledge of individual and group interventions to address spiritual and emotional needs of patients and families; providing referrals for continuity of spiritual care.
vii. Skill in the coordination of religious services respecting the faith tradition of individual patients.
viii. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with persons of varied backgrounds.


This experience must be clearly outlined in your application package. While not required, you may wish to include a separate knowledge, skills, and abilities document with your application package.

Do you meet the above requirements?
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6. GS-11 Qualifications: In addition to the basic requirements and one year of experience that encompasses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required at the GS-09 grade level, applicants must demonstrate the following KSAs to be found qualified at the GS-11 grade level:

i. Knowledge of advance care planning to educate, inform, and counsel patients and families.
ii. Skill in guiding patients in verbalizing and expressing values through life review, oral history, and end of life preparation and documentation.
iii. Ability to develop pastoral care programs that are measurable, outcome-driven and evidenced based within the department guidelines.
iv. 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.
v. Ability to support the development of staff resiliency and develop programs for staff development and wellness by providing spiritual and emotional support.
vi. Ability to educate and equip healthcare staff and trainees screening for spiritual and religious needs of patients and the importance of appropriate referrals to chaplains for complex spiritual distress.
vii. 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.

This experience must be clearly outlined in your application package. While not required, you may wish to include a separate knowledge, skills, and abilities document with your application package.

Do you meet the above requirements?
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