[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67340-67341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26435]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Annual Pay Ranges for Physicians, Dentists, and Podiatrists of 
the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: VA is hereby giving notice of annual pay ranges, which is the 
sum of the base pay rate and market pay for VHA physicians, dentists, 
and podiatrists as prescribed by the 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 our Nation's Veterans and maintain 
a standard of excellence in the VA health care system.

DATES: Annual pay ranges are applicable February 16, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leah Brady, HR Specialist, Human 
Resources Center of Expertise, VHA Workforce Management and Consulting 
Office (10A2A), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20420, (631) 514-9622. 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. 38 
U.S.C. 7431(e)(1)(B) allows the Secretary 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 paragraph 
7431(e) shall be published in the Federal Register and shall not take 
effect until at least 60 days after 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 the 
purposes of subparagraph 7431(e)(4), ``the total amount of 
compensation'' includes base pay, market pay, performance pay, 
recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives, incentive awards for 
performance and special contributions, and fee basis earnings.

Background

    The ``Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel 
Enhancement Act of 2004'' (Public Law (Pub. L.) 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. 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

[[Page 67341]]

dentist at a facility. Further, performance pay is intended to 
recognize the achievement of specific goals and performance objectives 
prescribed annually. These three components create a system of pay that 
is driven by both market indicators and employee performance, while 
recognizing employee tenure in VHA.
    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 the amendment, podiatrists are also 
subject to the same limitations and requirements as physicians and 
dentists under 7431.
    With regard to the Pay Tables for physicians, dentists, and 
podiatrists, there have been changes to the minimum and maximum amounts 
for Pay Tables 1, 2, and 5. However, the maximum amount for Pay Table 4 
has remained unchanged since the 2016 publication in the Federal 
Register.

Discussion

    VA identified and utilized salary survey data sources which most 
closely represent VA comparability in the areas of practice setting, 
employment environment, and hospital/health care system. The 
Association of American Medical Colleges, Hospital and Healthcare 
Compensation Service, Sullivan, Cotter, and Associates, Medical Group 
Management Association, and the Survey of Dental Practice published by 
the American Dental Association were collectively utilized as 
benchmarks from which 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.
    In constructing annual pay ranges to accommodate the more than 40 
specialties that currently exist in the VA system, VA continued the 
practice of grouping specialties into consolidated pay ranges. This 
allows VA to use multiple sources that yield a high number of salary 
data which helps to minimize disparities and aberrations that may 
surface from data involving smaller numbers for comparison and from 
sample change from year to year. Thus, by aggregating multiple survey 
sources into like groupings, greater confidence exists that the average 
compensation reported is truly representative. In addition, aggregation 
of data provides for a large enough sample size and provides pay ranges 
with maximum flexibility for pay setting for VHA physicians, dentists, 
and podiatrists.
    In developing the annual pay ranges, a few distinctive principles 
were factored into the compensation analysis of the data. The first 
principle is to ensure that both the minimum and maximum salary is at a 
level that accommodates 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, sub-specialization, and other 
special factors.
    Clinical specialties were reviewed against available, relevant 
private sector data. The specialties are grouped into four clinical pay 
ranges that reflect comparable complexity in salary, recruitment, and 
retention considerations. The Steering Committee recommended realigning 
Deputy Network Chief Medical Officer from Pay Table 5 Tier 3 to Pay 
Table 5 Tier 4 to distinguish this assignment as an advanced clinical 
and leadership role at the Network level.
    The Steering Committee also recommended realigning Chief of Staff 
from Pay Table 5 Tier 4 to Pay Table 5 Tier 3 for complexity level 3 
facilities and from Pay Table 5 Tier 3 to Pay Table 5 Tier 2 for 
complexity level 2 facilities to distinguish this assignment as an 
advanced clinical and leadership role at the Medical Center level.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Tier level                       Minimum    Maximum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Pay Table 1--Clinical Specialty
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tier 1............................................   $104,843   $243,000
Tier 2............................................    110,000    252,720
Tier 3............................................    120,000    280,340


------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Pay Table 1--Covered Clinical Specialties
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Endocrinology
Endodontics
General Practice--Dentistry
Geriatrics
Infectious Diseases
Internal Medicine/Primary Care/Family Practice
Palliative Care
Periodontics
Podiatry (General)
Podiatry (Surgery--Forefoot, Rearfoot/Ankle, Advanced Rearfoot/Ankle)
Preventive Medicine
Prosthodontics
Rheumatology
All other specialties or assignments not requiring a specific specialty
 training or certification


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Tier level                       Minimum    Maximum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Pay Table 2--Clinical Specialty
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tier 1............................................   $104,843   $282,480
Tier 2............................................    115,000    306,600
Tier 3............................................    130,000    336,000


------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Pay Table 2--Covered Clinical Specialties
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allergy and Immunology
Hospitalist
Nephrology
Neurology
Pathology
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Spinal Cord Injury
Psychiatry


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Tier level                       Minimum    Maximum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Pay Table 5--Chief of Staff and Network Chief Medical Officers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tier 1............................................   $150,000   $350,000
Tier 2............................................    147,000    325,000
Tier 3............................................    145,000    300,000
Tier 4............................................    140,000    285,000


------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Pay Table 5--Covered Assignments
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document 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. Pamela 
Powers, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on December 2, 2019, for publication.

Jeffrey M. Martin,
Assistant Director, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of 
the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-26435 Filed 12-6-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P