Notice2023-11306
Annual Pay Ranges for Physicians, Dentists, and Podiatrists of the Veterans Health Administration
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 26, 2023
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
VA hereby gives notice of the annual pay ranges, which are the sum of the base pay rate and market pay for VHA physicians, dentists and podiatrists as prescribed by the VA Secretary for Department-wide applicability. These annual pay ranges are intended to enhance the flexibility of the Department to recruit, develop and retain the most highly qualified providers to serve the Nation's Veterans and maintain a standard of excellence in the VA health care system.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34234-34235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11306]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Annual Pay Ranges for Physicians, Dentists, and Podiatrists of
the Veterans Health Administration
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: VA hereby gives notice of the annual pay ranges, which are the
sum of the base pay rate and market pay for VHA physicians, dentists
and podiatrists as prescribed by the VA Secretary for Department-wide
applicability. These annual pay ranges are intended to enhance the
flexibility of the Department to recruit, develop and retain the most
highly qualified providers to serve the Nation's Veterans and maintain
a standard of excellence in the VA health care system.
DATES: The annual pay ranges are applicable July 30, 2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ophelia A. Vicks, Executive Director
of Human Capital Policies, Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer
(05), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20420, 202-461-7765. This is not a toll-free number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(A), not less
often than once every 2 years, the Secretary must prescribe for
Department-wide applicability the minimum and maximum amounts of annual
pay that may be paid to VHA physicians, dentists and podiatrists. Per
38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(B), the Secretary is allowed to prescribe separate
minimum and maximum amounts of annual pay for a specialty or
assignment. Pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(C), amounts prescribed
under subsection 7431(e) shall be published in the Federal Register and
shall not take effect until at least 60 days after the date of
publication.
In addition, under 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(4), the total amount of
compensation paid to a physician, dentist or podiatrist under title 38
of the United States Code cannot exceed, in any year, the amount of
annual compensation (excluding expenses) of the President. For section
7431(e)(4), the total amount of compensation includes base pay, market
pay, performance pay, and fee basis earnings, but excludes recruitment,
relocation and retention incentives \1\ and awards for performance and
superior accomplishments from total compensation calculations.
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\1\ In accordance with Title IX, 906 of the ``Sergeant First
Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive
Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022'' (Pub. L. 117-168 dated August 10, 2022),
recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives, along with awards
for performance and superior accomplishments, shall not be
considered in calculating the limitation under 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(4).
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Background
The Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel
Enhancement Act of 2004, Public Law 108-445, was signed by the
President on December 3, 2004. The major provisions of the law
established a new pay system for VHA physicians and dentists consisting
of base pay, market pay and performance pay. These three components
create a system of pay that is driven by market indicators and employee
performance, while recognizing employee tenure in VHA. While the base
pay component is set by statute, market pay is intended to reflect the
recruitment and retention needs for the specialty or assignment of a
particular physician or dentist at a facility. Further, performance pay
is intended to recognize the achievement of specific goals and
performance objectives prescribed annually.
On April 8, 2019, the President signed Public Law 116-12, which
amended 38 U.S.C. 7431 to include podiatrists within the physician and
dentist pay system, authorizing podiatrists to receive base pay, market
pay, and performance pay. With this amendment, podiatrists are also
subject to the same limitations and requirements as physicians and
dentists under section 7431.
VA will be reducing the number of pay tables from 6 to 5 by
consolidating pay tables 3 and 4. Pay tables 1, 2 and 3 will cover the
clinical specialties, and pay tables 4 and 5 will cover executive
assignments. The maximum amount for the newly combined pay table 3 will
remain unchanged as described in the 2016 Federal Register publication.
However, there have been changes to the minimum and maximum amounts for
pay tables 1, 2 and 5.
Discussion
VA identified and utilized salary survey data sources that most
closely represent VA comparability in practice setting, employment,
environment and hospital/health care system. The Association of
American Medical Colleges, Sullivan Cotter and Associates, Medical
Group Management Association, Korn Ferry Healthcare National and
Executive Report, Mercer Integrated Health Networks and the Survey of
Dental Practice published by the American Dental Association were
collectively utilized as benchmarks to prescribe annual pay ranges
across the scope of assignments/specialties within the Department.
While aggregating the data, a preponderance of weight was given to
those surveys which most directly resembled the environment of the
Department.
VA continued the practice of grouping specialties into consolidated
pay ranges when constructing annual pay ranges to accommodate the more
than 40 specialties that currently exist in the VA system. This allows
VA to use multiple sources that yield high numbers of salary data which
help minimize disparities and aberrations that may surface from data
involving smaller numbers for comparison and from sample changes year-
to-year. By aggregating multiple survey sources into like groupings,
greater confidence exists that the average compensation reported is
truly representative. Additionally, the aggregation of data provides
for a substantial sample size to provide vast pay ranges with maximum
flexibility for VHA physicians, dentists and podiatrists.
In developing the annual pay ranges, distinctive principles were
factored into the compensation analysis of the data. The first
principle is to ensure that the minimum and maximum salary are at a
level that accommodate special employment situations, from fellowships
and medical research career development awards to Nobel Laureates,
high-cost areas and internationally renowned clinicians. The second
principle is to provide ranges large enough to accommodate career
progression, geographic differences,
[[Page 34235]]
sub-specialization and other special factors.
Clinical specialties were reviewed against available relevant
private sector data. The specialties are grouped into three (formerly
four) clinical pay ranges that reflect comparable complexity in salary,
recruitment and retention considerations. The Steering Committee
recommendations included consolidating former pay tables 3 and 4;
designating three clinical pay ranges (pay tables 1, 2 and 3) for the
varying clinical specialties; and designating pay tables 4 and 5 for
executive assignments. The Steering Committee also recommends adding
new and realigning existing specialties to different clinical pay
ranges, as well as changes to the minimum and maximum pay ranges.
VHA organizational improvement is focused on making operational
improvements by redesigning VHA Central Office (VHACO); revising its
governance functions; and creating integrated clinical communities.
Additionally, as part of the VHACO organizational improvement and for
consistency with the position titles outlined in 38 U.S.C. 7306, VHA is
modifying titles for a senior-level physician, dentist and podiatrist
leaders assigned to pay table 5 (formerly 6) of the VHA physician,
dentist, and podiatrist pay system. The new structure clarifies office
roles and streamlines responsibilities to eliminate fragmentation,
overlap and duplication. It also allows VHA to be more agile and
respond to changes and make decisions more quickly, positioning VHA to
better support the Veteran Integrated Services Networks and facilities
directly serving Veterans.
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\2\ Tier 1 and Tier 2 Minimums for Pay Tables 1 and 2 reflect
the statutory minimum rate of pay for this pay system in accordance
with Schedule 3 of the President's Executive Order 14090,
Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay, dated December 23, 2022.
\3\ Tier 1 Minimum for Pay Table 3 reflects the statutory
minimum rate of pay for this pay system in accordance with Schedule
3 of the President's Executive Order 14090, Adjustments of Certain
Rates of Pay, dated December 23, 2022.
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Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on May 19, 2023, and authorized the undersigned to sign and
submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication electronically as an official document of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
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Tier level Minimum Maximum
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Pay Table 1--Clinical Specialty
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Tier 1........................................ \2\ $243,000
$115,587
Tier 2........................................ 115,587 260,000
Tier 3........................................ 120,000 280,340
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Pay Table 1--Covered Clinical Specialties
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Endocrinology; Family Medicine; General Practice--Dentistry; Internal
Medicine; Palliative Care; Podiatry (General); Preventive Medicine;
Primary Care; Prosthodontics; Rheumatology; All other specialties or
assignments............................................................
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Pay Table 2--Clinical Specialty
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Tier 1........................................ $115,587 $300,000
Tier 2........................................ 115,587 320,000
Tier 3........................................ 130,000 336,000
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Pay Table 2--Covered Clinical Specialties
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Allergy and Immunology; Endodontics; Geriatrics; Health Informatics;
Hospitalist; Infectious Diseases; Neurology; Nocturnist; Periodontics;
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Spinal Cord Injury; Podiatry
(surgery--forefoot, rearfoot/ankle, advanced rearfoot/ankle);
Psychiatry; Sleep Medicine.............................................
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Pay Table 3--Clinical Specialty
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Tier 1........................................ \3\ $400,000
$115,587
Tier 2........................................ 120,000 400,000
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Pay Table 3--Covered Clinical Specialties
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Anatomic Pathology; Anesthesiology; Cardiology (invasive/non-
interventional); Cardiology (non-invasive); Cardio-Thoracic Surgery;
Critical Care; Dermatology; Dermatology Mohs (a micrographic surgery)-
; Emergency Medicine; Gastroenterology; General Surgery; Gynecology;
Hematology--Oncology; Interventional Cardiology; Interventional
Radiology; Nephrology; Neurosurgery; Nuclear Medicine; Ophthalmology;
Oral Surgery; Orthopedic Surgery; Otolaryngology; Pain Management
(interventional and non-operating room anesthesiology); Pain Management
(physical medicine and rehabilitation); Pathology; Plastic Surgery;
Pulmonary; Radiology (diagnostic); Radiation Oncology; Urology;
Vascular Surgery.......................................................
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Pay Table 4--Chief of Staff and Network Chief Medical Officers
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Tier 1........................................ $150,000 $400,000
Tier 2........................................ 147,000 375,000
Tier 3........................................ 145,000 350,000
Tier 4........................................ 140,000 325,000
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Pay Table 4--Covered Assignments
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VHA Chiefs of Staff and Network Chief Medical Officers Tier assignments
for Chiefs of Staff are based on published facility complexity level.
Tier 1--Network Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Staff--Complexity
Levels 1a and 1b. Tier 2--Chief of Staff--Complexity Levels 1c and 2.
Tier 3--Chief of Staff--Complexity Level 3 and facilities with no
designation level. Tier 4--Deputy Network Chief Medical Officer and
Deputy Chief of Staff..................................................
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Pay Table 5--Executive Assignments
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Tier 1........................................ $145,000 $310,000
Tier 2........................................ 145,000 295,000
Tier 3........................................ 145,000 285,000
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Pay Table 5--Covered Assignments
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The Deputy Under Secretary for Health; Assistant Under Secretaries for
Health; Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Health; Assistant Deputy
Under Secretary for Health; Chief Officers (VHACO); Network Directors;
Medical Center Directors; Executive Directors (VHACO); Deputy to the
Assistant Under Secretaries for Health; Chief Consultants (VHACO);
Deputy Chief Officers (VHACO); Deputy Chief Consultants (VHA CO);
Deputy to the Executive Directors (VHACO); and VHACO physicians,
dentists or podiatrists (non-senior executive service equivalents) with
an administrative/executive role for more than 50% of their full-time
equivalent employees...................................................
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Signing Authority
Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy &
Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-11306 Filed 5-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 26, 2023.
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