Occupational Therapist Home Based Primary Care

• Serves as the primary therapist in the Geriatrics Extended Care.
• Provides evaluations and assessments for the presence of physical abnormalities and functional disabilities that interfere with Activities of Daily Living and/or quality of life.
• Provides in-home services to veterans who present with a wide variety of multiple complex chronic illnesses and/or profound disabilities to improve or maintain functional levels and encourage independence in the home.
• Determines functional-related problems including rationale or basis for making the assessment and include the completion of safety assessments as clinically indicated.
• Works in the community traveling some distance alone to meet with Veterans enrolled in the HBPC program.
• Independently plans develops and implements comprehensive treatment programs for individual patients or groups of patients to restore and enhance their performance and potential for independent living or maximize function within their lifestyle.
• Responsible for the coordination of case management services. The incumbent is part of a multidisciplinary team of health professionals and peer counselors specializing in Peer Support Psychology Psychiatry Mental health Case Management Substance Abuse Treatment Homeless Case Management Vocational Rehabilitation and Family Psychosocial Education.
• Responsible for advanced occupational therapy techniques to perform functions associated with the OT scope of practice; evaluating patients as appropriate for a wide range of diagnoses primarily psychosocial to establish a baseline level of function (i.e. medical record review observation and interviews with a focus on cognitive and social skills role dysfunction range of motion strength sensation proprioception coordination perception self-care homemaking assistive/orthotic/prosthetic/adaptive equipment needs avocational/vocational skills etc.).
• Performs occupational therapy assessment and treatment of occupation cognitive and psychological functional deficits to develop and implement occupational therapy treatment plans with individuals families and/or groups of patients to meet individual patient rehabilitation objective.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 59057-A / 59058-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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 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.

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until September 30 2026 or until the position is filled. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be August 6 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. ***

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred & 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.
English Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken & written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Education and/or Experience.
Individuals must be a graduate of a degree program in occupational therapy approved by the ACOTE or predecessor organizations. ACOTE is the only accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education & the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:

• (a) Bachelors degree in occupational therapy &two (2) years of experience as an occupational therapist.

or

• (b) Bachelors degree in occupational therapy & two (2) full years of graduate education in a related field.

or

• (c) Masters Degree or higher in occupational therapy.

or

• Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements if they have a current full active & unrestricted license to practice occupational therapy.

Certification. Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT.

State Licensure. Candidates must possess a full current & 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.

• Exceptions for the Graduate Occupational Therapist.
  • OT graduates from an approved occupational therapy program who otherwise meet the minimum qualification requirements but who do not possess NBCOT certification &/or state licensure may be appointed pending certification &/or licensure as a graduate OT on a full-time temporary appointment not-to- exceed two years.
  • Graduate OTs may only be appointed at the GS-9 grade level & may not be promoted/converted to the GS-11 level until licensure &/or certification is obtained. For grades levels at or above the developmental GS-11 grade level the OT must be certified & licensed.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard (12/13/2019) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education & licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of this occupation. Employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it must meet one of the provisions listed in the qualification standard.

Grade addition to the basic requirements for employment the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Occupational Therapist GS-9
Education Experience or Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

Occupational Therapist GS-11
Education & Experience.

• (a) Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level & directly related to the position being filled;

or

• (b) Three years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree in occupational therapy or a directly related field;

or

• (c) Doctorate in occupational therapy.

Assignments for the GS-9 grade level include by are not limited to serving as OT practitioners in a career development position progressively expanding their ability to provide assessment & treatment interventions for a wide range of human function systems. The entry level therapist has a basic foundation of OT & generally practices independently.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• (a) Knowledge of occupational therapy practice.
• (b) Ability to administer/interpret evaluation findings to develop & coordinate intervention plans including goals & methods of treatment.
• (c) Ability to implement intervention plans directly or in collaboration with others.
• (d) Skill in monitoring an individuals response to interventions & modify treatment plans & reevaluating as indicated.
• (e) Ability to communicate collaborate with patients family members caregivers interdisciplinary professionals &/or other individuals verbally & in writing.
• (f) Knowledge of health & safety regulations to minimize risk in the provision of patient care & the environment of care.
• (g) Knowledge of applicable regulations governing documentation reimbursement & workload entry in accordance with established professional practice.

Occupational Therapist GS-12
Education & Experience. Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at the GS-11 grade level & directly related to the position being filled.

Assignments at the GS-11 level include but are not limited to OTs practicing independently & are responsible for the assessment of functional & occupational roles using standardized tools. OTs select & provide direct occupational therapy interventions & procedures with routine complexity to enhance safety wellness performance in activities of daily living (ADL); & instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) education work play leisure & social participation. OTs demonstrate an understanding of the theories of treatment in occupational therapy & their proper application through the use of activity analysis behavioral intervention frame of references & therapeutic procedures.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• (a) Knowledge of occupational therapy principles & techniques consistent with current clinical standards based on OT theory & evidence based practice. Knowledge is inclusive of physical occupational cognitive & psychosocial functional deficits.
• (b) Ability to collaborate & communicate orally & in writing with all internal &external stakeholders.
• (c) Ability to use critical analysis clinical reasoning & creativity to independently solve complex problems related to adapting &modifying assessments treatment plans activities & procedures to meet the needs of patients.
• (d) Skill in procuring fabricating adjusting adapting & modifying orthoses splints & adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment).
• (e) Ability to conduct OT related in-service & clinical training.

Preferred Experience:

• Providing rehabilitation services in home or community-based settings particularly with older adults or those managing chronic health conditions.
• Experience working as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team collaborating with providers such as nurses social workers & physicians.
• Experience with the VA system or caring for veterans.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to
GS-12.

Education

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.