In addition to competitive pay and liability protection, the VA also offers a robust benefits plan that includes:
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Paid Time Off:
•26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave – you can carry over up to 86 days into a new year  
•13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation – unused sick leave can be used to extend creditable service time at retirement!  
•10 Federal holidays with pay  
•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)  
•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-FRAE basic benefits (pension); and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan  
•How is the pension funded? VA employees hired after January 1, 2014 automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 8.3% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 12.7% 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 2014, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $17,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $23,000  
•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