SUMMARY

The Recreation Therapist is assigned to the Recreation Therapy Department located within Rehabilitation Care Services at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Recreation Therapists provide treatment interventions incorporating the four-step process of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of patient treatment services.

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States (U.S.). (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a)).
• Education. The following education requirements apply to the recreation therapist:
• (1) Recreation Therapist
• (a) A bachelor’s degree or higher, from an accredited college or university, with a major in therapeutic recreation or recreation/leisure, with an option and/or emphasis in therapeutic recreation. The degree must be approved by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC);
• OR,
• (b) A bachelor’s degree or higher in any field from an accredited college or university and must be a certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS). The degree must be approved by the NCTRC. If hired under this education, the certification cannot be waived.
• Certification.
• (1) Required Certification
• (a) Recreation Therapist. Applicants must be certified in recreation therapy as a CTRS by the NCTRC. If hired under paragraph 4b(1)(b), certification cannot be waived.
• (2) Exception. Non-registered and/or non-certified applicants, who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for registration and/or certification, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate recreation or creative arts therapist, under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B), for a period not to exceed two years. Applicants who fail to obtain registration and/or certification during this temporary full-time appointment may be terminated. The exception only applies to positions at the GS-7 and GS-9 level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be registered and/or certified.
• (3) Failure to Obtain Registration/Certification. In all cases, recreation and creative arts therapists must actively pursue meeting registration and/or certification requirements, starting from the date of appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unregistered and/or uncertified recreation or creative arts therapist with the written requirement to obtain registration/certification, the date by which the registration and/or certification must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming registered and/or certified by the deadline. Failure to become registered and/or certified within two years from the date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0638 recreation and creative arts therapist occupation, and may result in termination of employment.
• (4) Loss of Credential. A recreation or creative arts therapist who fails to maintain the required registration and/or certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment.

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).

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/.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOUR APPLICATION, RESUME, C.V., AND/OR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WILL BE VERIFIED. PLEASE FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. ERRORS OR OMISSIONS MAY AFFECT CONSIDERATION FOR EMPLOYMENT.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate’s abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

DUTIES

Duties at the GS-11 (full-performance) grade level include but are not limited to:

Administration of Treatment:

• Serves as a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team recommending treatment objectives and goals.
• Interprets and administers physicians’ recreation therapy consults/orders, schedules patient for treatment and integrates recreation/creative arts interventions with other treatments in order to achieve the goals established for the patient.
• Develops treatment plans and administers therapeutic recreation interventions which are directed to such goals as sensory integration, ambulation, diminishing emotional stress, community re-entry, reality orientation, muscular dysfunction and reorientation, treatment of psychosocial dysfunction, providing a sense of achievement and progress and channeling energies into acceptable forms of behavior.
• Develops and implements psychosocial activities for coping with frustration, stress, anger, and hostility as well as education and training on the appropriate use of leisure time with the goal of improving social interaction skills.
• Assumes responsibility to provide adequate coverage of patient care at all times with precautions, treatment plans and goals addressed.

Assessment and Treatment Planning:

• Uses effective interviewing techniques to obtain objective and factual information pertaining to the Veteran’s interests and aptitudes.
• Interviews Veterans by exhibiting needs and tolerances alleviating fears and anxieties, using therapeutic forms of encouragement as well as discipline or correction when necessary to hold the client accountable for behaviors.
• Develops treatment plans using client’s assessment, physician or nurse’s therapy orders.
• Administers, scores or interprets a variety of creative, leisure and motor skills assessments.
• Administers mental and physical assessments for patients with severe and/or multiple diagnoses.
• Develops and provides effective evidence based clinical interventions that are consistent with the therapist’s professional Scope of Practice, Standards of Care and Professional Ethics.
• Coordinates a wide range of interventions with other services in the development of appropriate patient treatment programs.

Treatment Evaluation and Adjustment:

• Conducts ongoing evaluations of therapy results and independently modifies, redirects, adjusts and augments treatment plans as indicated by each patient’s response and progress in the light of each patient’s emotional, physical, mental and social limitations, needs, skills, aptitudes and interests.
• Documents patient care using the electronic medical record and updates per medical documentation policy to reflect current status of patients.
• Performs regular assessments and leisure diagnostic evaluations to determine the appropriate treatment in conjunction with the interdisciplinary treatment team/physician.

Program Responsibilities:

• The incumbent will be responsible for one or more programs such as Physical Fitness Reactivation, Community Reintegration, Leisure Education and Skill Development, Student Education Programs, Sports Athletic Program, Whole Health/Wellness, and Quality Management.

Work Schedule: Monday - Thursday, 7:30am - 5:00pm, Every other Sunday (Wk 2 of PP) 8am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is nota virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• NCTRC certification
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcrip

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/28/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12778764.

• To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
• Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package