Staff Physician – Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Service (SCI/D)

About the Opportunity
Join the Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Service (SCI/D) team at the South Texas VA, where you’ll provide world-class care to Veterans living with spinal cord injuries and disorders. This is a unique opportunity to work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment focused on rehabilitation and neuro medicine.

Key Responsibilities:
• Provide comprehensive outpatient care for SCI/D patients.
• Perform detailed history and physical exams, EMG, injections, and other procedures.
• Collaborate with Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Neuropsychology, and other specialties.
• Document care in CPRS and maintain compliance with national guidelines.
• Educate patients and families on treatment plans and rehabilitation strategies.
• Participate in performance improvement activities and optional clinical research.
• On-call duties include rotational weekend coverage for inpatient rehab.

Work Environment
• Setting: Primarily outpatient with occasional inpatient consults.
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM (No routine nights or weekends except rotational call).
• Team: Work alongside 4 physicians, nursing staff, social workers, pharmacists, and therapists.
• Patient Population: Approximately 600 Veterans on the SCI/D registry.

Qualifications

Required:
• MD or DO degree
• Board Certified or Board Eligible in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation or Neurology

Preferred:
• Experience in neurorehabilitation (SCI/D)
• Interest in pain management, spinal cord medicine, musculoskeletal medicine

Compensation & Incentives
• Salary Range: $240,000–$300,000
• Competitive salary based on VA Physician Pay Table
• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP): Up to $40,000 per year for 5 years (maximum $200,000) Tax Free.
• Sign-On Bonus & Relocation Assistance available.
• Academic Affiliation: Faculty appointment opportunities with UT Health San Antonio.

Exceptional VA Benefits
• Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), which includes:

1. Lifetime Pension
2. Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with up to 5% matching
3. Social Security participation
   • Comprehensive Insurance: Health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
   • Paid Time Off: Generous annual leave, sick leave, and 11 federal holidays.
   • Malpractice Coverage: Provided at no cost.
   • Work-Life Balance: Predictable schedule, no RVU pressure, and strong support for wellness.

Why San Antonio?
San Antonio offers a vibrant lifestyle with affordable living, excellent schools, rich cultural heritage, and year-round outdoor activities. Enjoy the benefits of Texas living—no state income tax, diverse dining, and proximity to the Hill Country.

Apply Today
Be part of a mission-driven team serving America’s Veterans.

Contact:
Craig Rickaway, MHA, MBA – Physician/Provider Recruiter
Email: Craig.Rickaway@va.gov
Phone: (210) 483-2900 Ext 175702

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 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• 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

South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) is comprised of two inpatient campuses: the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital in San Antonio and the Kerrville VA Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. STVHCS serves one of the largest primary service areas in the nation and is part of the VA Heart of Texas Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17), with offices located in Arlington, Texas. South Texas provides health care services for 80,000 unique Veterans. The Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital (ALMMVH), named after the nation’s most decorated World War II hero, is a quaternary care facility, which is affiliated with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). Comprehensive health care is provided through acute medical, surgical, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, geriatric, and primary care services. Comprised of a Spinal Cord Injury Center, a Community Living Center, a Domiciliary, and a Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (SARRTP). ALMMVH provides quaternary services including bone marrow transplantation, open-heart surgery, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. As a Level II Research facility ALMMVH has projects that include aging, cardiac surgery, cancer, diabetes and HIV. The facility has one of three National Institutes of Health sponsored clinical research centers in the VA. In addition, the Geriatric Research, Education & Clinical Center (GRECC) is a “Center of Excellence.” The Kerrville VA Hospital (KVAH), located 65 miles northwest of San Antonio, provides primary care, some specialty care, geriatric evaluation and management, palliative care, and long-term care services with a Community Living Center. Outpatient clinics offer primary care and some specialty care while sharing resources with each other and their respective communities. When required, Veterans are referred to ALMMVH or KVAH for specialty care including medicine, surgery, neuropsychiatry, rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and long-term care services.