Employment Benefits

Reliable Coverage—Every Step Of The Way

A career with VA comes loaded with comprehensive benefits, competitive pay and other generous perks to help build a fuller, more balanced life for you and your family.

All Bases Covered

At VA, we provide a strong support system and an inclusive work environment focused on you and your unique needs, so you can concentrate on doing your best work for our Veterans.

Read more about our various employment benefits here, or visit the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) site for general federal employment policies and benefits.

Professional

Paid Time Off

13 to 26 days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
13 sick days annually with no limit on accumulation
11 paid federal holidays
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and The Family Friendly Leave Act allow employees to take reasonable amounts of leave for medical reasons; the birth or adoption/foster care of a child; and the care of a child, spouse or parent who has a serious health problem
Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave (for employees covered by FMLA) for the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child
The Voluntary Leave Transfer Program allows federal employees to donate annual leave to other federal employees who are experiencing a medical emergency
Military leave is authorized up to 15 days a year for our active reservists and National Guard members

With one full and unrestricted active U.S. license, you can work in any of VA’s 1,250+ facilities located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the Philippines. So, when life calls for a change of scenery, you can seek employment at any location — and once hired, you can transfer easily with no loss of benefits.

Insurance

Coverage Options

With Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), choose from a variety of self or family health maintenance organizations or fee-for-service health plans that all cover preexisting conditions. Your spouse, domestic partner and children under age 26 are eligible as are children — regardless of age — who are unable to support themselves. VA pays up to 75% of health premiums, a benefit that can continue into retirement (conditions apply). Your portion of the premium is taken on a pretax basis unless you opt out. Adjust plans during annual open season from November-December. Start flexible, tax-free spending accounts for up to $2,500 in medical expenses for individuals and up to $5,000 in dependent care expenses.

Liability Protection

VHA health care professionals are covered under federal tort laws and may be defended by the United States against allegations of malpractice or negligence (38 USC 7316). The average cost of malpractice insurance in the private sector varies a great deal by specialty and other variables, ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 annually for surgeons and from $4,000 to $12,000 annually for other physician specialties.

Life Insurance

Plan for what’s next with Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), which is group term life insurance covering you and eligible family members. Receive this benefit with no physical exam if you elect to enroll within 60 days of being hired and get coverage that applies from your start date and continues into retirement.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Under the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program, you can access long-term care coverage for home care, adult day care and facility care. You may be eligible to apply for long-term care insurance even if you’re not enrolled in the FEHB program.

Financial

Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs)

FSAs allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for health care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan. Two types of FSAs are available to federal employees:

Health Care FSA — Lowers your taxable income by reimbursing up to $4,000 per year of out-of-pocket medical, dental and vision
Dependent Care FSA — Lowers your taxable income by reimbursing up to $5,000 per household annually for eligible day care and elder care expenses on a pre-tax basis

Retirement

Federal Retirement Plan

VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tier retirement plan composed of Social Security benefits, FERS basic benefits and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

Similar to the private sector’s 401(k) savings plans, the TSP allows employees to tax-defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service.

The government automatically contributes 1% of your salary, with additional matching contributions up to a total of 5%. If you will be age 50 or older during a given year, you may also contribute up to $6,500 in additional “catch-up” contributions if you expect to reach the $19,500 limit during that year.

For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension. In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel (conditions apply).

Flexible Retirement Plan

VA employees are part of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Under FERS, you are eligible for monthly retirement benefits after just five years of federal service. This retirement system is portable — if you leave federal employment, the Social Security component carries over to your new employment.

Disability Retirement

If you become disabled and have at least 18 months of service, you may be entitled to long-term disability benefits. Also, VA will work hard to accommodate your condition to promote your productivity and success as a valued member of our team.

For more information, visit the Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM) disability retirement page.

OPM Retirement Procedures

Complete details are available at the OPM website

Retiring after Separation

If you have discovered that you are eligible for retirement within 30 days of your separation, contact the RSSO at VHARSSO@va.gov or call us at 866-330-7366 Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays) 7 a.m.-5 p.m. CST.

If you are eligible for retirement and it has been more than 30 days after your separation, it is considered a deferred retirement. To apply, you will need to call OPM at 1-888-767-6738 (TTY: 1-855-887-4957) or send an email to retire@opm.gov to request an RI 92-19, FERS Application for Deferred or Postponed Retirement. Additional information is available at OPM Retirement Services Online.

Permanent Address Change

If your mailing address changes after separation, you can update your address online at the OPM Retirement Services Online site once you have received your CSA number and PIN from OPM. You will not receive your PIN until after adjudication of your retirement.

Income Tax

If you did not submit a W-4P to OPM with your retirement packet, OPM will automatically withhold federal tax from your annuity at the rate of married with three exemptions. Once you have received your CSA number and PIN, you may change the withholding information online at OPM Retirement Services Online or you may fill out and mail a W-4P to OPM. If you choose to mail the withholding form to OPM, please ensure you have referenced your CSA number on this form.

State Tax

OPM does not automatically withhold state income tax. There are some states that OPM has agreements with that allow for voluntary withholding of state tax. However, you cannot elect to do so until after your claim has been adjudicated. You can do this on the OPM website once you have received your CSA number and PIN from OPM.

If you wish to submit a hard copy state withholding form, please ensure that you have referenced your CSA number on this form. You should contact your state tax office to see if they allow for voluntary withholding of state tax.

Death of Employee or Annuitant

Death in Service or Death of an Annuitant

We are very sorry for your loss and realize how difficult it can be to take care of everything required. If your loved one was an employee at the time of their death, please reach out to the RSSO at VHARSSO@va.gov or call us at 866-330-7366, Monday through Friday (excluding federal holidays) from 7 a.m.– 5 p.m. CST. Additional details available on the OPM Retirement Information and Services site. If your loved one was in retirement at the time of their death, you will also find information on the OPM website.

Additional helpful links:

The Compensation You Deserve

VA is proud to offer our employees strong starting salaries based on education, training and experience. And you’ll experience steady growth, with periodic pay raises that address inflation and local market changes, as well as other rewards for all your hard work and dedication.

Here are a few of the ways we keep salaries competitive:

VA Nurse Locality Pay System (LPS) – ensuring our nurses are paid competitive rates within each local labor market
Market and Performance Pay for Physicians and Dentists
VA Special Rates – providing regular performance-based increases and potential accelerated increases for outstanding performance
Recruitment Incentives – including Recruitment Bonus, Relocation Bonus and Retention Allowance, each up to 25% of the rate of basic pay
Premium Pay – including overtime, Saturday, Sunday, holiday, on-call and night work
Incentive Awards – including Superior Performance Awards, Special Contribution Awards, Quality Step Increases, VA Honor Awards, Non-Monetary Recognition and Title 38 Awards