VA Benefits

 

 

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 paid Federal holidays per year
• 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 employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s 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

The Buffalo VA Medical Center provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, spinal cord injury, outpatient care, a full range of extended care and mental health services and a robust research program. The Buffalo, NY facility is a referral center for cardiac surgery, cardiology and comprehensive cancer care. medical, surgical, mental health and long term care services through a range of inpatient and outpatient programs.

It's an integrated healthcare system with seven community based outpatient clinics. A rich tradition of providing quality healthcare to Veterans remains its' foundation. They have built a strong reputation as a tertiary referral and teaching VA medical center with a strong teaching mission in most major medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. They provide world class health care in a safe, patient-centered environment.

The Medical Center is academically affiliated with the State University of New York at Buffalo along with 66 additional universities and professional schools in biomedical sciences, audiology, dentistry, dietetics, health care administration, medicine, nursing, nurse anesthesia, occupational and physical therapy, pharmacy, psychology, speech pathology, and social work.

Medical Center researchers have earned worldwide acclaim in developing the cardiac pacemaker. Recent breakthroughs in the study of tinnitus, progress toward a vaccine for childhood ear infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease promise benefits to all mankind.