Occupational Therapist

Summary

The Occupational Therapist located at the VA Illiana Healthcare System in Danville IL has direct responsibility for evaluating, planning, and implementing evidence based occupational therapy treatment programs. Inpatient settings include acute care, Community Living Center wards, and rehabilitation-focused inpatient units. Outpatient include the PM&RS clinic and may include follow-up care, community reintegration support, and specialty outpatient programs.

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Duties

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• Develop patient-centered assessment plans that guide individualized care.
• Develops individualized, measurable, and occupation-centered treatment plans using assessment findings, physician recommendations, and patient/caregiver goals.
• Monitors patient progress and performs timely re-evaluations to modify goals and interventions, ensuring efficient and effective achievement of functional outcomes.
• Delivers occupational therapy interventions across inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Performs accurate testing and documentation of strength, range of motion, coordination, balance, endurance, gait, posture, sensory function, vital signs, and functional performance.
• Evaluates, recommends, orders, and provides training for assistive technology, adaptive equipment, and DME, ensuring accurate coordination with VA Prosthetics Service and other procurement pathways.
• Collaborates with physicians, social workers, and the interdisciplinary team to support safe and appropriate inpatient discharge planning.
• Provides or contributes to outpatient specialty care with primary and community providers.
• Completes timely, accurate documentation of evaluations, treatment sessions, progress notes, re-evaluations, and discharge summaries.
• Participates actively in interdisciplinary collaboration by contributing to treatment team meetings, communicating progress, and ongoing needs to support coordinated patient care.
• Supports program development through contribution to quality improvement initiatives, clinical program refinement, and outcome measurement efforts across inpatient and outpatient occupational therapy services.
• Participates in performance and quality improvement, including developing, monitoring, and evaluation for occupational therapy services, while maintaining adequate supply inventory to support patient care across settings.
• Manages daily patient scheduling to optimize clinic efficiency and access to care, ensuring smooth workflow and support for both inpatient and outpatient service delivery.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 00147F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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, 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and 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 and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education and/or Experience:
  • (1) The individual must meet at least one of the following requirements below:
    
    
    • (a) 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,
    • (b) 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,
    • (c) Master's Degree or higher in occupational therapy.
  • (2) 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.
• Certification: Candidates must possess a current NBCOT certification as an OT.
• 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.

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).

Grade Determinations :

Education, Experience, and Licensure: Completion of one year of experience equivalent to at the GS-11 grade level and directly related to the position being filled.

Demonstrated KSAs: In addition to the [experience above, the candidate] must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) Knowledge of occupational therapy principles and techniques consistent with current clinical standards based on OT theory and evidence based practice. Knowledge is inclusive of physical, occupational, cognitive, and psychosocial functional deficits.

(b) Ability to collaborate and communicate orally and in writing with all internal and external stakeholders.

(c) Ability to use critical analysis, clinical reasoning, and creativity to independently solve complex problems related to adapting and modifying assessments, treatment plans, activities and procedures to meet the needs of patients.

(d) Skill in procuring, fabricating, adjusting, adapting, and modifying orthoses, splints, and adaptive equipment for activities of daily living (inclusive of durable medical equipment).

(e) Ability to conduct OT related in-service and clinical training.

Preferred Experience: Two to three years of experience in an inpatient long-term care setting.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Occupational therapy is classified as a vocation requiring "medium" physical demand as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor. Medium work entails exerting 20-50 pounds of force occasionally, 10-25 pounds of force frequently, and greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Physical demands are in excess of those required for light work. The physical demands of this position require frequent standing, walking, stair climbing, squatting, bending, kneeling, reaching, gripping, and transitioning between positions throughout the workday. Sufficient manual dexterity to operate a computer and clinical equipment is required. Moderate to heavy lifting is required to assist patients during treatment, transfer activities, and equipment use. Above-average agility may be necessary when responding to patient safety situations or behavioral emergencies. The position requires physical stamina, functional use of arms and legs, and adequate visual and auditory acuity to perform all assigned duties safely and effectively across all assigned clinical settings.

Education

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: 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:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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