Requirements for Veterans Affairs hospital chaplains  

To be eligible for endorsement and service as a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital chaplain through The Episcopal Church, you must already:

• Be an ordained priest in The Episcopal Church. 
• Have completed at least two years of work in parish ministry (curacy, rector, etc.). 
• Have completed at least 4 units of clinical pastoral education (CPE). 
• Be board-certified, or working toward certification, as a healthcare chaplain (through the Association of Professional Chaplains, Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, or College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy).

Please complete or submit the following to the office of the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (AFFM). We will work with you to schedule the required conversations and interviews: 

• Contact the AFFM office and inform them that you are interested in VA hospital chaplaincy. 
• Initial conversation with the canon for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
• Initial conversation with the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
• Complete your application packet for the Chaplain Discernment Board:
  • Completed application.
  • Recent photo. 
  • Description of your spiritual journey (4-7 pages).
  • Inform your diocesan bishop that you are interested in chaplaincy and ask them to write a Letter of Concurrence stating that you are a priest in good standing and that they recommend you for endorsement.
  • Transcripts from your undergraduate and seminary institutions.
  • Letters of recommendation from two clergy and one lay person in the church. 
  • Certification of completion of 4 units of CPE. 
  • Vocation Hub profile.
  • If you are Board Certified, please send a copy of your certificate. 
• Schedule an interview to appear at a Chaplain Discernment Board meeting (held quarterly).

After the Chaplain Discernment Board meets, you will either be endorsed for chaplaincy or will be offered recommendations for additional discernment. If endorsed, you should then apply for a position with a VA hospital through USAjobs.gov. 
 
Since the application process is often time-sensitive, obtaining endorsement before you apply for any VA job is recommended. Endorsements are valid for one year and can be removed.