Optometrist

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

The Amarillo VA Health Care System, a division of the VA Health Care Network (VISN 17), provides primary specialty, and extended care of the highest quality to veterans throughout the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, eastern New Mexico, and southern Kansas. Approximately 25,000 patients are treated annually. The health care system maintains 55 acute care inpatient beds for general medical, surgical, and intensive care. Geriatric and extended care is provided in the 120-bed skilled nursing home care unit. A modern ambulatory care center and medical arts building facilitates the delivery of primary care, specialty care and preventive health services. The Amarillo VA Health Care System also ensures health care is accessible to those veterans residing in rural areas through three community-based outpatient clinics located in Lubbock, Childress, and Dalhart, Texas, as well as Clovis, New Mexico.

Mission:

The mission of the Amarillo VA Health Care System is to provide timely, efficient, ethical, safe, compassionate, and quality health care to veteran patients.

Vision:

The Vision of the AVAHCS is to become:

• The recognized leader of health care in our community / region
• The provider of choice
• The employer of choice

Core Values:

• Integrity: Act with high moral principle. Adhere to the highest professional standards. Maintain the trust and confidence of all with whom I engage.
• Commitment: Work diligently to serve Veterans and other beneficiaries. Be driven by an earnest belief in VA’s mission. Fulfill my individual responsibilities and organizational responsibilities.
• Advocacy: Be truly Veteran-centric by identifying, fully considering, and appropriately advancing the interests of Veterans and other beneficiaries.
• Respect: Treat all those I serve and with whom I work with dignity and respect. Show respect to earn it.
• Excellence: Strive for the highest quality and continuous improvement. Be thoughtful and decisive in leadership, accountable for my actions, willing to admit mistakes, and rigorous in correcting them.

Facility Facts and Specifics

The Thomas E. Creek VA Medical Center located in Amarillo, Texas is the main facility for the Amarillo VA Health Care System (VAHCS) which serves approximately 65,600 veterans in a primary service area to include 59 counties in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, eastern New Mexico, and southeast Kansas. It was constructed in 1939 and dedicated on May 12, 1940.

A division of the VA Health Care Network (VISN 17), the Amarillo VAHCS provides primary, specialty, and extended care of the highest quality to veterans, maintaining three community based outpatient clinics located in Lubbock, TX, Childress, TX, and Clovis, NM.

Approximately 25,000 patients are treated annually. The health care system maintains 55 acute care inpatient beds for general medical, surgical, and intensive care. Geriatric and extended care is provided in the 120-bed skilled nursing home care unit. A modern ambulatory care center and medical arts building facilitates the delivery of primary care, specialty care and preventive health services.

Specialized Programs include support of the CCHT Program through Telehealth Care Coordination, a home portable sleep study program, Outpatient Substance Abuse program and a VIST program. The VIST program manages services to blind veterans living in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

The Amarillo VAHCS has dedicated Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom staff working in a coordinated effort to reach military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and help to make a seamless transition to veterans’ health care.

The Amarillo VAHCS provides an active teaching environment for medical students and residents through a formal affiliation with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The rotation includes approximately 40 residents in Internal Medicine, Family Practice, and Specialty Care. Other affiliations with Texas Tech University School of Pharmacy, Northeastern State University of Optometry, West Texas A&M University and Amarillo College provide a variety of educational opportunities in pharmacy, optometry, nursing and various allied health programs.