VA Benefits

 

 

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

About the Canandaigua VA Medical Center

 The Canandaigua VA Medical Center, part of VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, 30 miles southeast of Rochester in Canandaigua, New York. Providing inpatient and outpatient care to veterans living in upstate New York since 1933, the Medical Center provides numerous health care programs and services.

Located on 150 acres with 14 patient care buildings, the Canandaigua VA Medical Center provides: •Primary care
•Mental health care
•Specialty care
•Disease prevention and wellness programs
•Alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation
•Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care
•Domiciliary program
•Community living center (nursing home) care
The Medical Center has been designated as a VA Center of Excellence for research and education of mental health issues. The national VA Suicide/Crisis Hotline call center is also located on the Canandaigua campus.

The Rochester VA Outpatient Clinic is affiliated with the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. The outpatient clinic offers primary care, specialty care, mental health care, a day treatment center, alcohol and drug abuse rehabilitation, routine lab work, immunizations, and wellness and disease management programs.

The Canandaigua VA Medical Center and Rochester VA Outpatient Clinic serve patients from Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties. Both facilities maintain academic affiliations with Daeman College, Finger Lakes Community College, Keuka College, Nazareth College, New York Chiropractic, Roberts Wesleyan, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher, State University of New York (SUNY) Brockport and the University of Rochester.

About Canandaigua, New York
Canandaigua has a unique combination of scenic beauty and small town charm. It is host to many attractions including Sonnenberg Gardens, Granger Homestead, Roseland Water Park, numerous bed and breakfasts, camps, and cottages along a pristine 16-mile long lake. Only a 30 minute drive from downtown Rochester, there is an array of other attractions nearby.