El Paso VA Health Care System

About the VA

Department of Veterans Affairs offers Veterans the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the United States. We operate more than 1,400 sites of care, including 153 medical centers, 909 ambulatory and community-based outpatient clinics, 135 nursing homes, 232 Veterans centers, 47 readjustment counseling centers, and 108 comprehensive home-care programs, across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S.Territories.

More than 7.9 million Veterans, their family members, and survivors are enrolled in the VA Health System, with more than 6.3 million seeking treatment each year. Currently, that annual treatment involves 773,600 inpatient visits and 60 million outpatient visits. About 250,000 full-time employees and 90,000 health professional trainees work in interdisciplinary care teams to deliver those patient services daily.

VA's patient population crosses a wide spectrum of individuals, from elderly World War II Veterans, to baby boomer Vietnam Vets, to today's younger heroes who served during the Gulf War era and in the present day Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. VA also serves a growing number of women Veterans, who currently account for seven percent of the total Veteran population.

VA Benefits

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 10 paid Federal holidays per year
• 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 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 2015, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $18,000, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $24,000.
• 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

About Our Facility

The El Paso VA Health Care System (VAHCS) serves veterans in far Southwest Texas and Dona Ana County, New Mexico. The El Paso VAHCS includes the main health care facility located adjacent to WilliamBeaumontArmyMedicalCenter on Ft. Bliss, Texas, and a VA staffed Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The VAHCS provides primary and specialized ambulatory care services at its main campus, the El Paso VA Health Care Center.

El Paso is a jewel in the desert. Nestled between the rugged FranklinMountains and the historic Rio Grande, this dynamic community combines the advantages of a major metropolitan center with the ambience and neighborly charm of a modern western town.

El Paso provides abundant cultural and entertainment opportunities, year-round sports and outdoor recreation, a low crime rate, some of the best weather conditions on the planet, and an extremely favorable cost-of-living index. We are a cosmopolitan community; and people from all over the world come here to live, work, do business, get an education, or retire.