13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
11 Federal holidays with pay annually
5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses
Insurance:
Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
Long-term care insurance is available as an option
Federal Retirement Plan:
VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employees salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employees salary
Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
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
Disability Retirement
Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service