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National VA Chaplain Service

Board Certifying Chaplain Organizations & Specialty Certifying Organizations

A complete list of Ecclesiastical Organizations that the Department of Veterans Affairs  recognizes as Ecclesiastical Endorsing Organizations is available here: 
https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Ecclesiastical_Endorsement.asp 

Board Chaplain Certifying Bodies – Needed for GS-11 Chaplain and Above

1. Association of Certified Christian Chaplains (ACCC) - www.certifiedchaplains.org/ *
2. Association of Professional Chaplains® (APC®) - www.professionalchaplains.org* 
3. National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) - www.nacc.org* 
4. Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) - www.najc.org* 
5. National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC) - https://www.navac.net/* 
6. Spiritual Care Association - https://www.spiritualcareassociation.org/

Accepted Specialty Certifications from BCC Bodies (above) - Required for GS-12 Chaplain

Association of Certified Christian Chaplains (ACCC): 
1.  ACCC Grief Support Specialization –  https://certifiedchaplains.org/accc-grief-specialization/
2. ACCC Mental Health Specialization - https://certifiedchaplains.org/accc-mental-health-specialization/#!form/SPEMentalHealth

Association of Professional Chaplains (APC)  
1. Palliative Care & Hospice: https://bcci.professionalchaplains.org/content.asp?admin=Y&pl=42&sl=42&contentid=45*

National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC)
1. Palliative Care & Hospice:  Palliative Care and Hospice Advanced Certification (PCHAC) - The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (nacc.org)*

National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC) - https://www.navac.net/competencies*
1. Hospice & Palliative Care 
2. Drug & Alcohol Addiction 
3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 
4. Mental Health 
5. Moral Injury 
6. Suicide Prevention

Spiritual Care Association 
1. Hospice & Palliative Care https://www.spiritualcareassociation.org/hospice-and-palliative-care-specialty-certification/ 

Accepted Clinical Pastoral Educator exception for Non-Board-Certified Chaplains required for Chaplain GS-09 

  • Association of Clinical Pastoral Education - https://acpe.edu/  
  • The Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training - https://www.icpt.edu/  
  • Clinical Pastoral Education International - https://cpei.edu/
  • College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy awarded after Jan 1, 2024 - https://cpsp.org/  (Note: CPSP units awarded before Jan 1, 2024, must be accompanied with an equivalency letter from a Board Chaplain Certifying Body listed above)
Effective July 3, 2025 as revised on Dec 1, 2025



*Link will take you outside of the Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA)Website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. The link will open in a new window.

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