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| As
VA employee, you are eligible for a wide variety
of benefits. Following is a summary of those
benefits and another excellent reason for
exploring career opportunities with the Department
of Veterans Affairs. |
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| PAY |
Competitive Pay |
| Starting
salaries are based on: |
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Education and training |
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Experience |
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Duties required by the position |
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Guidelines from professional boards (in some
cases) |
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Overtime Pay and Other Premiums |
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Some employees may be eligible for premium
pay for overtime, on-call, weekend, and holiday
duty. Amounts and percentages vary, depending
on position & location. |
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Locality Pay (Applies to most workers
who are not licensed Federal health care professionals) |
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- Additional
pay that insures your salary is competitive
for your geographic area |
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This additional pay ranges from 9.62% to 21.08%
depending on where you work |
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Cost of Living Pay Increases |
| - Usually
each year, the President approves a salary
increase for most employees to help keep pace
with inflation |
| HEALTH
INSURANCE |
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VA pays approximately 75% of your health
benefit premium |
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You can choose from one of the widest selection
of health plans in the country |
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Choose from fee-for-service plans, health
maintenance organizations, or point of service
plans |
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Many health plans offer dental coverage |
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Annual open season if you wish to change
to another plan |
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Coverage may continue into retirement |
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Pre-tax options results in more take-home
pay |
| TRAINING |
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As
a VA employee, you'll have free access to
hundreds of online courses designed to improve
your professional skills. |
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VA Learning Online (VALO) is a self-directed
e-Learning environment that offers a wide
range of courses including Microsoft Desktop
Applications, Personal Development, all
levels of IT courses, Management Skills,
and many more |
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All training can be done in short intervals
and bookmarked for later access |
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The Tuition Support Program is available
to VA employees who qualify for the program. |
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Employees in health care disciplines identified
as VA shortage categories are eligible for
funding to enroll in job-related courses |
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Employee Incentive Scholarship Program |
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This scholarship program allows employees
in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
who are eligible to further their education
and obtain degrees qualifying them for health
care positions for which recruitment and
retention is difficult |
| RETIREMENT
PROGRAMS |
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Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) |
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FERS is a three-part retirement plan: social
security, plus an annuity based on earnings
and length of service, and the Thrift Savings
Plan |
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FERS has many features that are portable,
so that if you left the Federal government
you may still qualify for the benefits |
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You will be vested after 5 years of service,
survivor and disability benefits are available
after 18 months of civilian service |
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Click on the following for more information
on FERS |
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Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) (similar
to a 401K plan in the private sector) |
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You may make tax-deferred contributions
to the TSP, and a portion is matched by
the government |
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You may contribute up to 13% of your pre-tax
salary up to $11k each year |
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No income tax is payable until withdrawal |
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You may choose to invest in one of 5 funds |
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Click on the following for more information
on the Thrift
Savings Plan (TSP) |
| WORK/LIFE |
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Childcare Subsidy |
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Available to full-time or part-time VA employees |
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For those who qualify, the subsidy can be
used with any childcare provider licensed
and/or regulated by state and/or local authorities |
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Subsidy is paid on a sliding scale based
on income |
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Alternate Work Schedules |
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Under certain circumstances you will have
some choices in work schedule |
| - Compressed
work schedule - 4/10 (you may work 4 10-hour
days and receive 2 days off per pay period)
- 5/4/9 (work either 8 9-hour days, 1 8-hour
day, one day off per pay period) |
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Commuting Assistance |
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This program is offered nationwide to all
qualified VA employees |
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The amount of subsidy offered is based on
your mass transit commuting costs |
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The current maximum allowed is up to $100
per month |
| LIFE
INSURANCE |
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Full-time and part-time employees are eligible
for basic life insurance equal to salary
(next $1,000) plus $2,000 |
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VA pays one-third of cost |
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No physical is required |
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Optional coverage is available, including: |
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Additional life insurance for the employee |
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Coverage for spouse and eligible children |
| LIABILITY
PROTECTION |
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The U.S. Government accepts responsibility
for employees during the exercise of their
official duties. Therefore, employees such
as physicians and pharmacists are protected
by the Federal Government in instances of
alleged malpractice or negligence resulting
from their work in VA |
| LEAVE
- (With
holidays and leave, you'll start out with
23 paid days off a year!) |
| (Enhanced
leave benefits are available for physicians,
dentists, and nurses. For more information,
click
here then choose your occupation and
view benefits.) |
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Holidays |
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As a Federal employee, you will receive
10 paid Federal holidays per year
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| - Click
on the following to view the list of Federal
holidays |
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Annual Leave- is based on years of
service and accumulates through accrual. |
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13 days per year for up to 3 years of service |
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19 days per year for more than 3 but less
than 15 years of service |
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26 days per year for 15 years or more of
service |
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You can accumulate and carry over up to
6 weeks of unused annual leave from year
to year |
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Sick Leave |
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13 days of sick leave per year |
| - Your
sick leave accumulates each year without
limit |
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Expanded Use of Sick Leave |
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You may use up to 12 weeks of sick leave
to care for family members |
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You may use an additional 12 weeks of unpaid
leave, if warranted |
| JOB
PORTABILITY |
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If you are on a career appointment, your
service credit, pay grade, sick leave, annual
leave, and retirement are transferable to
other Federal agencies |
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If you leave government service, you will
also carry over Social Security credits
and be able to rollover Thrift Savings Plan
investments into a private sector plan |
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If you leave before normal retirement, you
may be eligible for a deferred annuity |
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Interested
in reading about what the Washington Post says
about benefits for federal workers? |
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Click on the following
link: 10
Reasons to Work for the Government |
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