Optometrist w/Recruitment/Relocation Incentive and Education Debt Reduction

Job Description

The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, provides primary care to veterans throughout 29 counties of Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas. Approximately 50,000 veterans live in our service area and about 40 percent of them receive care at our Medical Center annually.

Our facility is comprised of 13 general medicine beds and 40 extended care beds. Tertiary care support is provided by VA Medical Centers in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; and Little Rock, Arkansas. Four community based outpatient clinics provide primary care and mental health services in Cape Girardeau, MO, West Plains, MO, Farmington, MO, and Paragould, AR. Subspecialty service needs at this Medical Center are met by local consultants and attendings and/or referral to tertiary care facilities.

This non-affiliated medical center maintains contractual agreements for educational programs providing clinical practice sites for programs in Associate Degree Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing, Laboratory Technology, Secretarial Science, Dental Assisting, Computer Science, Social Work, Physical Therapy, Radiology Technician, Social Work BS, Social Work MSW and Optometry.

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

In addition to our main facility in Poplar Bluff, we offer services in five community-based outpatient clinics. These clinics are located in —

• Cape Girardeau, Missouri
• Farmington, Missouri
• Sikeston, Missouri
• West Plains, Missouri
• Salem, Missouri
• Paragould Arkansas
• Pocahontas, Arkansas

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