Summary

This position serves as a Speech-Language Pathologist in the Polytrauma Network Site Outpatient Rehabilitation and in the Polytrauma Transitional Rehabilitation Program that provides post-acute rehabilitation services to veterans with acquired brain injury (PTRP's Brain Injury Program and Rehab Evaluation & Neurological Enhancement for Warriors) and patients with Parkinson's Disease. This position will also serve general Outpatient services, including conducting modified barium swallow studies.

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Duties

Major Duties:

• Collaboratively develop goals in conjunction with the patient.
• Develop and implement treatment plans designed to improve cognitive-communication processes or to compensate for cognitive-communication disability using adaptive strategies.
• Where dysphagia or communication impairments are present, the incumbent will develop and implement treatment plans to improve swallowing and/or communication.
• Participate in team meetings involving members of the treatment team and care conferences involving patients, their families and the treatment team.
• Document results of evaluation, development of treatment goals and treatment plans, discharge recommendations, and education of patients and families within the medical record in the form of evaluation reports, progress notes, education notes and discharge reports.
• Collect outcome measures for veterans receiving treatment.
• Provides education to patients and their families regarding the nature and consequences of cognitive communication difficulties, communication impairments and swallowing difficulties; as well as counseling and instruction to families on how they may support their family member in returning to home and community.
• Adheres to the facility's rules, policies, and procedures and to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association's policies regarding professional standards and ethics.
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday Administrative Days with on call schedule

Telework: Ad Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

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Requirements

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 dentification 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).
  
  

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.
• Education and Experience.
• A master's degree, or its equivalent, in speech-language pathology, communication disorders or a directly related field from an accredited college or university and one year of creditable experience (see paragraph 2.g.). or
• A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences or a related field, from an accredited college or university.
• Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• Licensure. Individuals must hold a full, current and unrestricted license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia.
• Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for SLP licensure may be appointed to a temporary position as a graduate SLP under the authority of 38 U.S.C.
• 7405 (c)(2). Individuals appointed as graduate SLPs may not be promoted to the GS-12 level without being fully licensed.
• The requirement for licensure may be waived by the Under Secretary for Health or designee in VHA Central Office for individuals engaged in research or academic assignments involving no direct patient care duties, in accordance with current activities.
• An SLP who has, or ever has had their speech-language pathology license revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited or issued/placed on probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16 of this part.
• English Language Proficiency. SLP candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C.
• 7403(f).

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:

Speech-Language Pathologist, GS-11.

Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of principles and techniques in assessing and treating disorders of speech, language, cognitive-communication and swallowing.
• Knowledge of instrumentation and technologies for assessing and treating communication and swallowing disorders.
• Ability to adapt clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient conditions, needs and goals
  
  

Speech-Language Pathologist, GS-12.

Experience. In addition to the basic requirements at the GS-11 level, completing one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level and possessing a full, current and unrestricted license to practice speech-language pathology.

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

• Skill in applying principles and techniques of diagnosis and treatment associated with contemporary speech-language pathology following evidence-based practice for adult patients exhibiting the full range of speech to the full range of patient populations.
• Skill in administering and interpreting instrumental swallowing evaluations.
• Ability to assess the effectiveness of clinical outcomes and adapt clinical procedures and techniques to accommodate unique patient conditions.
  
  

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 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 11 to GS 12.



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.

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: 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/.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

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