Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) - VISN 23 Home and Community Based Services Program IDT

The VISN 23 Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program Occupational Therapist is a member of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) responsible for providing centralized, standardized, administrative and clinical eligibility reviews for authorization of purchased in home services. The IDT works in partnership with facility HCBS teams to ensure Veterans receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/14/2025. Basic Requirements: (a) United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. (b) Education/Experience: The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below: 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 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 Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy. 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. (c) Certification: Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT. (d) 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. Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist), GS-13 Grade Requirements: Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level and one of the following: A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the advanced practice area. This time must be within the past five years; Certification in an area recognized by the AOTA; Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; or An additional advanced degree in a related field. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. Knowledge of contemporary occupational therapy across multiple areas of practice. Ability to provide clinical guidance in the advanced practice area to other OT practitioners. Knowledge of advanced specialized evaluation, interventions and services to independently develop treatment strategies for area of specialization. Skill in developing protocols and procedures for intervention programs based on current occupational therapy theory, recent research, and practice. Ability to provide consultation to other health care practitioners and outside groups about occupational therapy scope of practice for area of specialization. Ability to implement, revise/update evidence based occupational therapy services and programming in area of specialization. Preferred Experience: Geriatrics experience, Home Healthcare experience, VA community care experience and interdisciplinary team experience is preferred. 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 in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.