Employee Occupational Health/ Compensation and pension

Physician (Occupational Medicine/ Employee Health/ Compensation & Pension) duties consist of but are not limited to the following:

• Primarily responsible for evaluations pertaining to Compensation and Pension examinations requested by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).
• Perform in certain instances, state department examinations, veteran's insurance examinations and periodic or separation examinations of armed services military personnel.
• Is cognizant of the fact that he/she is engaging in forensic examination that may involve besides patient history and examination, review of extensive documents as needed that pertains to the patient's disability claim.
• Performs examinations to include history and physical findings and expanded single organ/system compensation and pension exams as indicated.
• Renders an opinion supported by facts to establish the presence or absence of disease or condition making patient eligible/ineligible for compensation and/or pension.
• Provides leadership in the operations Bay Pines VAMC Occupational Health/Compensation & Pension, including staff training, education, scheduling, and coordination of care within the multi-disciplinary health teams.
• Reviews, tracks, and evaluates quality improvement initiatives related to Occupational Health/Compensation & Pension.
• Participates and attends medical center committees as assigned by the Chief of Primary Care and the Chief of Staff.
• Actively stays informed of the status of Occupational Health/Compensation & Pension programs in the VA and disseminates pertinent information to clinical staff at the CWBY Bay Pines VAMC.
• May supervise Occupational Health Residents, medical students, or mid-levels in training.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 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 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

About the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System

Since 1933, Bay Pines VA Healthcare System has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. We consider it our privilege to serve your health care needs in any way we can. Our services are available to Veterans living in a ten county catchment area in west central Florida.

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

In addition to our main facility at Bay Pines, we offer services in one outpatient clinic and 7 community-based outpatient clinics. These clinics are located in —

• Bradenton, Florida
• Cape Coral, Florida
• Naples, Florida
• Palm Harbor, Florida
• Port Charlotte, Florida
• St. Petersburg, Florida
• Sarasota, Florida
• Sebring, Florida