From big to small, urban to rural, there’s a VA location for everyone

One of our favorite VA career benefits is the opportunity to work anywhere you want. So whether you want the amenities of an urban environment or the wide open spaces of a rural community, there’s a VA location for everyone.

As a VA employee, you can work with Veterans at any of our facilities across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and some U.S territories.

With 1,255 facilities to choose from, you have the option of living and working just about anywhere you might imagine. Big or small, though, each comes with its own diverse patient populations and its own benefits.

City living

In a recent poll surveying the best cities for Veterans to live in, St. Petersburg, Florida, scored high in both quality of life and health, as did Tampa. Similarly, high rankings in health care availability boosted several cities in California, including Anaheim, Oakland, and San Jose.

These rankings were determined by factoring in the number and quality of our facilities, showcasing that these denser urban locations provide broad access to services.

City living offers a variety of advantages, too. More parks, diverse schools, expanded small retail options, and broader public transit systems are all points in favor of living in more urban environments. VA facilities, too, are often denser in urban areas, which can mean more opportunities for advancing your career while providing Veterans with the health care they need.

Big sky country

Outside the big cities, though, rural VA operations are just as valuable, sometimes even more so. Our providers in rural locations can have a huge impact on the health of the entire community and can see the result of their care more holistically.

In turn, you can gain experience treating a broad range of health conditions. Rural communities often have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic disease. You’ll also interact with an aging population in greater need of health care services — 55% of rural Veterans enrolled in VA’s health care system are over the age of 65.

Rural providers enjoy some advantages that are not as common in urban locations: greater privacy, less traffic, more personal space, a greater sense of community, a lower cost of living, and access to the outdoors.

Across the board benefits

Whether urban or rural, in a facility big or small, you have access to an excellent range of benefits when you work at VA. Whatever your role, you have access to:

• Flexible schedules. Our employees receive 13 to 26 paid vacation/personal days, as well as 13 sick days annually with no limit on accumulation, and we celebrate 11 paid federal holidays each year.
• Robust insurance options. You can choose from a variety of health maintenance organizations or fee-for-service health plans, and all cover preexisting conditions. Your spouse, domestic partner, and children may also be eligible. Additionally, VA pays up to 75% of health premiums, a benefit that can continue into retirement.
• Generous retirement packages. VA employees have access to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Similar to a 401(k) savings plan, the TSP allows employees to tax-defer a portion of their income each year, and the government automatically contributes 1% of your salary, with additional matching contributions up to a total of 5%. For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension.

Work at VA

Whether you choose the big city or the open frontier, we offer careers that grow with you and the chance to support our mission of providing the best care possible to Veterans.

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