Anyone know the current salary for a VA hospital anesthesiologist? I have been looking at some posts on the VA healthcare site and they post a huge range from $130,000-$400,000 for a job. I am assuming the VA pay is lower than average
VA hospital anesthesiologist pay
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Yes it is. But it is not Sub 200.
Most VA docs got pay raises (20-30k recently)
It’s weird the way they get paid.
100-120k “base pay” plus 200-230k “locality” pay
The reason this is screwed up is the annual pay raised is based only on the “base” pay
So when Biden gave the feds a 5% pay raise. VA docs pay raise was only $5000 (based on base pay)
Crna and non doctor salaries are “total pay”
So crna base pay is THEIR PAY. So crna base pay is 200k. 5% pay raise is 10k!!
I’m not kidding. This is the reason the Va is so messed up. So the nurses got bigger pay raise than the docs.
VA docs get 15k “annual bonus” as well
Overall it’s not a bad deal at most VA (not all the VA are the same). Workload is pretty easy. But the oversight and micromanaging can be annoying. My bff has been in the Va for 11 years. He hates it but was going through a nasty child custody fight so needed the flexibility the VA offers
If you see a prime VA job opening with ONLY A TWO WEEK WINDOW to apply. Forget that job. It’s a fake job opening. By law. The feds have to post the job opening as an “open job “ even though it’s not a real opening. That job has been taken.
VA jobs are good for these docs
1. Mommy track docs with kids (or want kids)
2. Older docs ready to retire in 5-7 years PLUS age 55. (Which means they will be right at age 62 for immediate retirement). That is the key age for most people because u get subsidized (private healthcare) $250- month for family coverage
3. Military docs wanting to convert service times
4. Docs with mental health /crazy docs (sorry but it’s true). Some bad docs at the VA as we all know
U just can’t put in 5 years say age 52-57 and retire with healthcare. It doesn’t work that way. U get the small pension but the money ball is the healthcare benefits. And u gotta retire immediately at age 62 or later plus have 5 or more years to qualify for healthcare.
There are other ways to retire earlier with subsidize healthcare but that involves more than 20 years of service and decrease in pension for retiring early
The VA/fed pension in itself is NOT A GOOD Deal. Those who started in 2014 pay (4.4%) almost 6x more POST TAX into the system than those who started in Dec 31 2012 or earlier (0.8% contribution) for the same payout.
This post is pretty accurate, with the exception of the pay raise.
There was highly publicized pay raise supposed to come through as part of federal legislation. Except it didn't. Most decent places you're already at the federal total compensation cap of $400k so any bonus or raise that puts you over doesn't apply.
PM me if you are considering Houston or have more specific questions. In short, I'd avoid unless you are in very specific scenarios.
Correct. I’m not taking about the above 400k/pay raise in legislation I’m talking more inflation adjusted pay raise raise overall the last 18-20 months at most VA.
My buddy got a 30k pay raise from 330k to 360 in northeast.
Same as friends in Florida VA
Still under 400k salary
Of course the Va nurses hooked themselves up (mainly affected middle nurse rn manager) to raise their pay up to 250k (just for regular RN) which is a really good pay. So the nursing pay cap was raised.
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Agree with your post in just about every way.
I think the VA is a GREAT deal if you're an ex-military doc who's able to buy in / convert service time to the VA system. These people are among the rare government double dippers who can earn a military reserve pension and a VA pension at the same time, with a bunch of active years counting toward both.
Anyone else, it can be an OK lifestyle job but earning potential is rather limited.
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You can look up every va doctor's name and find out their pay
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VA currently on a national hiring pause. Won’t last forever, but don’t be surprised when HR gives you the cold shoulder.
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Preach.
Had a colleague from the MTF near good tacos. He had come to medicine a little bit older. Was aiming for 20 years, had a place with ocean views, was locked in to homestead. Around the 15 year mark he got caught up in some admin shenanigans, didn't do anything wrong, but his future assignments were not going to be good. He left active, went to the reserves. He also landed a .civ job at a VA spa a couple states away. He was able to retire after three years in the reserves (HPSP 2 for 1 was still a thing). With his spa job, he vested at five years after buying back his 15 years of active time. Icing on the cake, he left the spa with his dual pensions, and was hired back on at the MTF near good tacos as a .civ contractor after the dust from admin shenanigans a few years prior.
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You can look up VA physicians here
Search Results | Veterans Affairs
The 'Our Providers' online directory lists the primary licensed independent practice providers who may be a lead, ongoing member of your treatment team at the respective VA medical center. Providers in the following occupations are listed on this website: physicians, dentists, nurse...
You can find their salary here:
Probably a few other sites that have the data on them.
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You can look up VA physicians here
Search Results | Veterans Affairs
The 'Our Providers' online directory lists the primary licensed independent practice providers who may be a lead, ongoing member of your treatment team at the respective VA medical center. Providers in the following occupations are listed on this website: physicians, dentists, nurse...www.accesstocare.va.gov
You can find their salary here:
Probably a few other sites that have the data on them.
Some academics have dual appointments so they get paid by both the state and the VA.
This individual (cardiac anesthesiologist) gets 320k from the state and 360k from the VA.
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You're saying VA RNs make 250k?
It was the Raise act. These salary’s exclude bonus as well. Salary bonus are never included in federal pay searches. There are side bonus each individual Va can give as well. Sometimes up to 60k (on top of the 15k physician annual bonus). I know this for a fact.
Remember VA is RN friendly. Not physician friendly in terms of pay. That’s why the pay gap between docs private sector and federal is drastic. While Va non doc jobs can be very comparable to private sector non doc jobs.
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Part time "fee basis" staff are paid by unit value so doing that can be a good supplemental gig. Given that the full time staff is salaried there isn't any competition for rooms that can generate a lot.
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$/unit?
Some desperate VA hospitals are paying contractors crnas $275/hr these days. I don’t think it’s 1099. It may be w2. I will have to check. It’s insane these days. All a money grub.
Previously my friend as local Va chief signed off on $1500/day guarantee (pre pandemic) plus $50/case. So the contractor crnas would choose the GI rooms. Obviously GI VA pace is different than private hi pace. But they could squeeze 6-8 gi cases over 8 hours for total of $2000 which was pretty good pre Covid.
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Surprise different VA pay different for 1.0 vs 0.5 fte.
What you are really talking about is contracting services w2 They are not “part time”
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Fee basis and percentage FTE equivalents are 2 different ways to work there.
Must be like Minnesota Va. they always need bodies. I’ve seen ads for $400/450hr at that VA.
So they can pay fee basis vs hourly for w2 contractor work than.
The published federal employee pay reporting on these sites is not accurate. They do not report your total gross compensation nor does it differentiate if you are full time or part time. They only report your full-time equivalent pay scale. Not accurate.
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I have spent over 40 years either training or working in private hospitals and can relate that the work culture is way more collegial and the production pressure is much less. The most difficult aspect is all of the Talent Management online to complete and rules are inflexible.
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Makes sense. Most other cardiac anesthesiologists in the department without VA appointments are in the 500-600k range.
My friends at the VA for the most part like it.
It all depends who the supervisors are. Some VA anesthesia dept under surgery dept. Some under their own dept.
If u have a bad/self centered supervisor (chief) who does close to zero clinical work. It can make the job unbearable (just like any job).
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I spent 13 years of my faculty life at a large, academic VA and, as everyone says, there are pros and cons. I marvel, though, at how different the VAs are in terms of their ability to do things outside the norm. I'm always hearing about how this VA was able to pay this way, that VA was able to compress everyone's tour to 4 days for moonlighting, etc. And we were never able to do any of that. In fact, our VA can barely keep the scrub machines stocked. Leadership failure? Lack of administrative resources? Hard to say who's to blame, but although the workload-per-hour was generally pretty low, the hours themselves were not, and the grinding frustrations became depressing over time. Given the current market, too, the pay, which was always low, but decent, given the workload, has just become too far below the market to justify working there, save for some very specific situations.
U nailed it. My friend in New York was at 4 (10s). Forced him to go to 5 (8). He finally said F it. He went to 0.4. No clue why he’s doing it other than try to ride into retirement by age 57 with subsidized healthcare and decrease in pension benefits but he’s after the healthcare
While in Florida they let some of them go to (4) 10s of 9/80
So all VA are managed differently. The one in New York barely has stuff. While the newer one in Florida has all the stuff they need in terms of equipment.
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The healthcare benefit in retirement is a huge motivator. I still work as “intermittent” staff, one day per pay period, for this and, if I can slog it out, will do so til 57. The delta between my VA health plan and what I can get in my current group, both in terms of coverage and cost, is huge.
You are currently paying premiums? Don't you just have to be covered for your last 5 years of service? Age 52-57 then?
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I pay about $400/mo for a good PPO. VA pays something like 1600/mo of the total premium, according to my pay stub. If I bought insurance thru my main PP job, the comparable plan is a little worse and the cost is 1800/mo, all from me. Not sure I understand the rest of your question. Like, could I NOT be paying it now and just re-up my coverage once I hit 52? Or quit the VA altogether and hope to get rehired with 5 years to go? I suppose so that could work. But again, I'm saving quite a bit on coverage now, for a small dip in my personal happiness by continuing to work there a couple days a month.
U must have continuous federal healthcare coverage in the preceding 12 months before retiring.
You can’t he say vested age 58 after 5 years and except to get subsidies for healthcare. Because u don’t qualified for immediate retirement. (If you worked 20 plus years it’s a little more complicated to explain but u can get subsidies for healthcare than ) but pension is reduced due to age 60 and 20 year rule. It’s all on the opm.gov website for all to see
That’s why the optimal age for docs to go into the Va is sprint age 57. Do ur 5 years. Retired and get the subsidize healthcare.
Gotcha. It's your primary insurance. Thought you were using your PP's health insurance but keeping your VA job alive solely for FEHB after retirement.
That's not the rule.
I am going to retire soon. What are the requirements to continue health benefits into retirement? - OPM.gov
Welcome to opm.gov
That's not the rule.
I am going to retire soon. What are the requirements to continue health benefits into retirement? - OPM.gov
Welcome to opm.govwww.opm.gov
Where am I wrong?That's not the rule.
I am going to retire soon. What are the requirements to continue health benefits into retirement? - OPM.gov
Welcome to opm.gov
I do know the ins and outs of the federal system
U cannot retire at age 58 with say 7 years in the system and expect to get the subsidize healthcare. It doesn’t work that way.
You have to do a lot more years to retire before age 62.
These are the rules.
For some reason it’s not linking on mobile safari
It’s a chart how long u have to work
Age 62 min 5 years
Age 60 min 20 years
Min age is 57 if u have 10 years but take a hit by 5%
To qualify for FEHB after retirement, you need to be eligible for the FERS annuity and you need to have FEHB coverage for the 5 preceding service years. Your previous post said you only needed FEHB coverage for 12 months before retiring, which isn't the case.Where am I wrong?
I do know the ins and outs of the federal system
U cannot retire at age 58 with say 7 years in the system and expect to get the subsidize healthcare. It doesn’t work that way.
You have to do a lot more years to retire before age 62.
These are the rules.
For some reason it’s not linking on mobile safari
It’s a chart how long u have to work
Age 62 min 5 years
Age 60 min 20 years
Min age is 57 if u have 10 years but take a hit by 5%
You are correct.
Still looking at age 57 at the earliest for 99% of people since that the MRA.
So if you did 5 years at 50 and were continuously insured under the health plan until separation - you’d get annuity only when you turn 62 since you didn’t retire at that specific time? Or would health benefits kick in at 62 as well?
Correct (no healthcare) if you seperated more than 5 years.
You would only get the small pension (worth maybe 15k a year if u did 5 years ) based on. 300k salary x 5 years at age 62
And most of that 15k gets taxed (even though u contributed posted tax money).
It’s a screwed up system. Essentially after 5 years u would have contributed 70k post tax money
So when you collect the pension at 62. In the old days the first 70k (post tax) u put in would come out as tax free. They change the laws 30 plus years ago.
But now they will tax you on close to 90% of that 15k. They want you to die.
Your break even point assuming you live to age 62 and get back YOUR OWN MONEY is like age 68.
That’s why the healthcare benefit is worth so much more to older docs wanting to get into the Va system to retire immediately after age 62. Healthcare benefit is worth 10k easily each year.
“The vast majority of your FERS annuity will be federally taxable. You will not be taxed on the portion of your FERS annuity that is due to your already taxed contributions but, because you recoup your contributions bit by bit over your life expectancy, most of your FERS annuity is taxed.”
www.fedweek.com
I’m not sure the entire calculation
Let’s just say you contributed 100k post tax to the pensions (4.4% contribution) over 7.5 years)
4.4% post tax x 7.5 years equal 100k
Pension equals 20k roughly with 7.5 years of service based on 300k “highest 3s”
Since most of that 20k is taxable
You have to work more than 6 years just to recoup your OWN MONEY
That’s why it’s so essential for most people to retire as soon as they can to collect the benefits (unless they got a super cush govt job working from home) or just supervising crna doing low risk gi procedures like this one doc I know in Florida supervising 1:1 70% of the time outpatient He does “preop” clinic the rest of the time to justify his workload.
He’s got 29 years in the system and can retire anytime. Basically started right out of fellowship back in 1995 when there were no jobs.
He even told
Me if he was doing high risk cases like he did 5 years ago. He wouldn’t do it anymore. But he’s collecting a nice 330k va paycheck. When the work gets too hard. He will retire. But he will ride it to the wheels fall off
How Your FERS, Social Security and TSP Payments Get Taxed
How is your retirement income, specifically your FERS annuity, Social Security, and TSP withdrawals, taxed for federal income tax purposes? The taxable
www.fedweek.com
I’m not sure the entire calculation
Let’s just say you contributed 100k post tax to the pensions (4.4% contribution) over 7.5 years)
4.4% post tax x 7.5 years equal 100k
Pension equals 20k roughly with 7.5 years of service based on 300k “highest 3s”
Since most of that 20k is taxable
You have to work more than 6 years just to recoup your OWN MONEY
That’s why it’s so essential for most people to retire as soon as they can to collect the benefits (unless they got a super cush govt job working from home) or just supervising crna doing low risk gi procedures like this one doc I know in Florida supervising 1:1 70% of the time outpatient He does “preop” clinic the rest of the time to justify his workload.
He’s got 29 years in the system and can retire anytime. Basically started right out of fellowship back in 1995 when there were no jobs.
He even told
Me if he was doing high risk cases like he did 5 years ago. He wouldn’t do it anymore. But he’s collecting a nice 330k va paycheck. When the work gets too hard. He will retire. But he will ride it to the wheels fall off
