Health Professions Trainees

VA Onboarding Points of Contact

Please work closely with your VA Points of Contact (link below) to avoid any unnecessary delays; these department liaisons are available to help and answer your questions. 

The entire HPT paperwork packet is fillable, and data can be saved. Paperwork must be submitted 60 days prior to your anticipated start date. Failing to do so can impact your start time here and prevent you from completing your rotation. 

Non-US Citizens are required to have a Non-US Citizen Check. Definition: Foreign born and were NOT issued a US Passport and do not have any legal residency status (i.e. is not a green card holder, individual does not have alien registration numbers, individual is not a DACA recipient). You will be required to provide additional information. See Non US-Citizen Guide below. 

US Citizen/Lawful Permanent Resident are not required to have a Non-US Citizen Check. Definition: US Citizen or National by birth in the US or US territory/commonwealth or born to US parent(s) in a foreign country; Naturalized or Derived US citizen; Lawful permanent resident: A person who is lawfully authorized to live permanently within the US, i.e. issued a “green card.”

Health Profession Trainees requiring access to VA facilities and/or information systems and rotations are longer than one year will require at least a Tier 1 Federal Background Investigation.  Only US Citizen or Non-US citizens residing in the US for 3 years are permitted to complete a Tier 1 Federal Background Investigation.  Trainees will receive a questionnaire from donotreply@nbis.mil for a background check. Complete upon receipt or the process starts over after 30 days. See eAPP Background Investigation Guide below. 

You will receive an email to make your fingerprinting appointment once your paperwork is received and you have been sponsored in the USAccess system.

VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Personal Identity Verification (PIV) offices are located at the Omaha VA or Grand Island VA. The PIV Offices are closed on Federal holidays. Schedule your appointment as soon as you are sponsored, 6-8 weeks prior to VA start date at the following website:  AI Scheduler (gsa.gov) 

Use this information when making your appointment:

• Agency/Organization: Department of Veterans Affairs – click Continue.
• Enrollment – Take photo and fingerprints, present ID documents.

You will need to bring TWO FORMS OF IDENTIFICATION to your fingerprinting appointment.  Example: Driver’s license, passport, Social Security Card, etc.  Please see list of acceptable forms of ID.

If you are completing your fingerprinting at another VA location:

Ensure that you have submitted paperwork to your POC and have been sponsored. Courtesy fingerprints may be completed at another VA facility. This cannot be a different Federal entity or a shared site – please choose a VA facility. 

• Agency/Organization: Department of Veterans Affairs – click Continue
• Enrollment – take photo and fingerprints, present ID documents
• Locations and phone numbers can be found at these VA locations. 

Notify your POC via email when you have completed your fingerprint appointment.

Required Online Training – Talent Management System (TMS) “Mandatory Training for Trainees” Course – Required for all trainees.

A TMS account will be created by the APD system. Additional TMS resources are found at this link.  https://www.va.gov/oaa/mandatory-training.asp

This is an annual requirement that must be kept current to avoid computer access termination.

Already Have a TMS Account or need assistance? Email the local TMS administrator theodore.wzorek@va.gov or call the Enterprise Service Desk at 1 .  In the email, please provide the following information to have your account transferred to the Omaha VA (Date of Birth, last four of your SSN, and if you recall the login or email you used to access TMS in the past, name of VA you were/are at, and list the last day at current VA location). 

Once the VA Internal Processing is complete, you will be issued computer access codes and an ID badge which affords you access to the building.  These will both be issued to you on your first day of rotation. If your program requires you to have a PIV card, your POC will contact you with further instructions. 

If your position requires you to have access to CPRS, you will be required to complete an in-person CPRS training and sign-on session at the beginning of your rotation. You will receive detailed instructions from your department/service POC on how to fulfill these requirements.  

Once the VA Internal Processing is complete, you will be issued computer access codes and an ID badge which affords you access to the building.  These will both be issued to you on your first day of rotation or prior to CPRS training. If your program requires you to have a PIV card, your POC will contact you with further instructions. 

Closer to your start date you will be prompted to watch a 2-minute video and a signing ceremony in the MVI system to finalize your paperwork.

Sponsorship for a PIV card. Once confirmed that your PIV card is ready you will need to make an appointment using the AI Scheduler to pick up your PIV card. The PIV card pick up is by appointment only. 

If your position requires you to have access to CPRS, you will be required to complete an in-person CPRS training and sign-on session at the beginning of your rotation. You will receive detailed instructions from your department/service POC on how to fulfill these requirements.  

We look forward to you joining the VA team! Please review the following student / orientation information for VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. (link below)

OMAHA

Parking - There is no student parking on Omaha VAMC campus.  All resident and student trainees will park in the VA designated parking spaces (blue lines) across the street at The Center Mall.  Please refer to the parking instructions/map. Parking Request forms are completed on site using the LEAF process.  The VA Police Department is located in the basement of the main building, room B580 for your parking decal.

Omaha Student Parking Map (link below)

Ambulatory Care Center (ACC)- ACC Information Guide (link below)

GRAND ISLAND

 Parking – Park with employee parking at either Stars and Stripes or Patriot Parking lots.

 Grand Island VA Parking Map (link below)

LINCOLN

Parking – Park with employee parking. 

Lincoln VA Parking Map (link below)

At the end of the rotation, each student/trainee must process out, unless you are returning for a future rotation.

Please follow instructions below:

• (If applicable) You must log into your VA account, clear your CPRS alerts, set a surrogate, and submit a leaf request with completed Form 10-0708. (link below)

NWI Out-Processing/Trainee Offboarding | Nebraska Western-Iowa HCS (va.gov)

• Please return any items received (IT equipment, Keys, Lab Coat, etc.) to your preceptor or service staff.

NOTE: Students who fail to return these items may be ticketed and fined.

The VA Trainee Satisfaction Survey  is online, anonymous, and takes about five minutes to complete on your training experience at VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.