What We Do
BOARD CERTIFICATION (BCC)
Board Certification
- Prior to 2020
- One of the main thrusts in founding the NCVACC in 1985 was to establish and provide a method of certification as a Chaplain by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Commission on Certification and Accreditation (CCA).
- The standards and procedures for chaplain certification was first approved in 1988 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Commission on Certification and Accreditation.
- In 2018, the USCCB Commission recommended to merge NCVACC’s Certification Commission with that of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), which has basically the same standards. This was achieved in January 2020.
- NACC VA Chaplain Certification
- Since the merging of the NCVACC Certification Commission with the NACC, all Board certification activities of the NCVACC were turned over to the corresponding body in the NACC.
- Members who already have their NCVACC Board certification (BCC) by January 2020 were granted the new title of NACC VA Chaplain Certification.
- Those holding the NACC VA Chaplain Certification, or wish to apply for it, need to become members of the NACC, or maintain their NACC membership annually, in order to maintain their certification status.
- Other Certifying Organizations
JOIN US
- VA Requirements for Chaplaincy
- For details of the qualification requirements for a VA chaplain, please go to: 1111(2)_D_2016-11-22.pdf.
- Ecclesiastical Endorsement: Archdiocese for the Military Services.
- The Archdiocese for Military Services, USA (AMS) expects full time and part time Catholic chaplains to apply for and maintain membership with the NCVACC. The Episcopal Vicar for the VA receives the membership status report on Catholic chaplains every year, and prior to the education conference.
- Once a member, dues are payable to the Treasurer annually starting January 1st of each year.
- There is one form for membership application and payment of dues. Click here for the form.
- Membership Dues:
- Regular
- $75.00: Part-Time, Fee Basis, Contract or Intermittent
- $150.00: Full-Time
- NACC BCC-VA
- $75.00
- $325.00 Membership payable to NACC (from which $75 is discounted upon submission of NCVACC payment receipt for membership)
- “Spiritual and pastoral care must be available to Veterans wherever inpatient care or outpatient medical services are provided through the Veterans Health Administration. The type and extent of spiritual and pastoral care provided must be commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the individual Veteran.” VA Directive 1111(2)
- According to the VA Directive 1111 (2). 2 (b): “The official title for VHA chaplains is ‘Chaplain’… In official capacities the chaplain is addressed as ‘Chaplain,’ and must use this designation in signing official communications.”.
- Together with other VA Chaplains, NCVACC members provide holistic care, in coordination with members of the Interdisciplinary Team (IDT), appropriate to individual needs and desires, such as:
- Conducting worship services, rituals, rites, religious sacraments and ordinances.
- Providing clinical pastoral care for individual patients.
- Providing clinical pastoral counseling with individuals and immediate family members during crisis situations.
- Facilitating spirituality and therapeutic groups.
- Conducting funerals and memorial services, as authorized; and
- Coordinating spiritual care for VA patients in all inpatient and outpatient treatment settings.
- Catholic chaplains, like any other chaplain in the VA, are employed in various types of positions.
- Full time – 40 hours per week
- Part time – 10 to 35 hours per week
- Intermittent – No regularly scheduled hours
- Contract – Specific number of visits
- Fee-basis – Paid per visit
Where We Work
- VA Catholic Chaplains minister within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) section of the Department of Veterans Affairs. VHA is the “largest integrated network in the United States, with 1,225 healthcare facilities serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.” https://www.va.gov/about_va/ . There are 172 VA medical centers, and over a thousand outpatient clinics, community centers, Vet centers and domiciliary care centers
- VA Catholic Chaplains can be found in most of the VA facilities around the country. The number of these facilities by state, county or city depend on the density of the local population. This is the link to locating various VA facilities in all states: https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/allstate.asp.
