Rural VA: Benefits beyond the big city

The Veterans Health Administration goes where its patients are. With 5.6 million Veterans in rural communities, Rural VA has countless career opportunities for health care professionals hoping to avoid the hustle and bustle of city life.

There are around 3.2 million Veterans enrolled in the VA system living in rural areas. Those people often have difficulty accessing health care due to long distances, a lack of specialized care, or a low number of health care providers available. To help combat this, VHA has made it a priority to expand community clinics, increase partnerships with non-VA providers and further develop telehealth initiatives for its patients.

When it comes to working with Rural VA, regardless of location, health care providers receive the same benefits as those who work in facilities in metropolitan locations. Some of those benefits include flexible time off, federal liability coverage, insurance and retirement packages – not to mention the ability to easily transfer to any other VA location without having to change your license or suffer a gap in benefits.

VHA employees are offered between 13 and 26 paid personal/vacation days each year, along with 13 paid sick days and 10 paid federal holidays. When it comes to insurance, the federal government partially pays health and life insurance premiums for its employees. Those employees can also utilize flexible spending accounts to pay for health-related expenses not reimbursed by their plans.

When it comes to retirement, the government automatically contributes a portion of your salary to a retirement fund and employees can take advantage of the Thrift Savings Plan, the government version of a 401(k). Government retirees are also covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System, a three-tier system based on Social Security benefits, basic program benefits and the Thrift Savings Plan.

While those benefits are offered to full-time VA employees everywhere, Rural VA has its own benefits that health care professionals in larger cities do not have. Rural providers work in advanced facilities, but due to their locations in smaller towns and communities, they also enjoy lower housing costs, less traffic and a slower pace of life.

If you’re ready to make a difference for our Nation’s Veterans while enjoying the benefits of small-town life, join us at Rural VA today. Click here to see all of our available opportunities.