Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) - Physical Rehabilitation

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

This position serves as an Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist) - Physical Rehabilitation in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service at VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS). The GS-13 OT Physical Rehabilitation Clinical Specialist is a subject-matter expert and consultant on rehabilitation of a wide variety of diagnoses and dysfunction within Occupational Therapy and for the other medical center staff.

Major Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Independently provides specialized Occupational Therapy services at all levels of complexity for veterans with dysfunction from a wide variety of diagnoses, with service delivery to include assessment, Veteran education, and needed intervention.
• Demonstrates full professional understanding of the theories of treatment in Occupational Therapy and their proper application using activity analysis, behavioral interventions, frame of reference, and therapeutic procedures.
• Collaborates with other team members, the veteran, and family members (when appropriate and allowed) to establish treatment goals and strategies based on the evaluation. Identifies needs outside the scope of Occupational Therapy and makes recommendations for appropriate referral.
• Plans a treatment program with measurable goals, based on evaluative findings and incorporating patient and family goals. Modifies the program according to changing patient needs and terminates treatment program when all goals have been met. Independently administers standard treatments in the area of physical rehabilitation therapy.
• Evaluates for the need of orthotic devices and custom-made orthotic devices to manage neurological of orthopedic conditions to meet the individual patient's needs.
• Accurately documents OT services in the medical record within the timeframes, formats and standards established by PM&R service.
• Monitors his/her own productivity and clinics and identifies challenges and implements strategies to improve workload efficiency, identifies clinical priorities and allocates time and resources accordingly.
• Independently utilizes a wide variety of comprehensive evaluations using standard and nonstandard evaluation tools to assess a veteran's function in areas including, but not limited to, mobility, proprioception, neurological dysfunction, perception, cognition, and activities of daily living. Evaluations take into account the veterans age, lifestyle, culture, supports, living conditions, comorbidities, and history.
• Develops and revises/updates evidence-based protocols and procedures for evaluation and intervention in physical rehabilitation.
• Mentors staff OTs through sharing of advanced knowledge of contemporary Occupational Therapy for patients with neurological dysfunction and other physical dysfunction.
• Maintains a level of professional knowledge appropriate to the neurologically and physically impaired patient population through professional literature, in-service programs, and continuing education.

Work Schedule: Full-Time; Monday to Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Basic Requirements:

1. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

2. English Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

3. Education and/or Experience:

• The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:
  1. 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 American Occupational Therapy Association (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
  2. 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
  3. 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

*Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign occupational therapy programs meet the requirements if they have a current, full, active and unrestricted 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.

4. Certification: Candidates must possess a current National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification as an OT.

5. 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.

Grandfathering Provision: 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).

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 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and 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, the following provisions apply:

1. They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
2. If an OT who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee will lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
3. OTs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
4. OTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.

Grade Determinations:

Occupational Therapist (Clinical Specialist), GS-13

• Education, Experience, and Licensure: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level and directly related to the position being filled and one of the following:
  1. A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice directly in the advanced practice area. This time must be within the past five years;
  2. Certification in an area recognized by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA);
  3. Completion of a fellowship/residency or advanced degree program in the advanced practice area; or
  4. An additional advanced degree in a related field.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, 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: The incumbent demonstrates advanced knowledge and skills in evaluation, planning, developing, and leading treatment protocols related to physical rehabilitation that are based on current occupational theory, recent research, and best practice. He/She will apply advanced evaluation methodologies and treatment theories in the provisions of care to a vast array of functional impairments and clients, as well as provide clinical practice guidance for other OT staff. This includes evaluation and treatment of other medical issues that may be encountered in the outpatient setting such as complex pain issues, upper extremity dysfunction, post-surgical management, complex DME issuance, and challenging neurological issues. A clinical specialist function with a high degree of independence.


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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: This work involves standing and walking for about 50% of a normal workday. In addition, the OT must be able to squat, kneel, push, and pull, and lift loads from the ground and from above shoulder height. The physical demand level as defined by the Department of Labor is 'Medium' requiring the occasional lifting of 20-50lbs, the frequent lifting of 10-25lbs and the constant lifting of 10 lbs. during the normal workday. Occupational Therapy also requires manual dexterity and coordination to use computer and computer programs, administer physical agent modalities (if appropriate), fabricate/modify splints and to demonstrate the use of mobility equipment of wheelchairs and walkers. Additionally, the Occupational Therapist must be able to modify such equipment using tools (i.e. scissors, Exacto knives, wrenches and/or screwdrivers).

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/.

• 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 (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.