[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 204 (Friday, October 24, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48555-48556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-19651]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
[Docket No. VA-2025-VACO-0002]
Annual Pay Ranges for Physicians, Dentists, Podiatrists, and
Optometrists of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is hereby giving
notice of an update to annual pay ranges, which is the sum of the base
pay rate and market pay for VHA physicians, dentists, podiatrists, and
optometrists as prescribed by the Secretary for Department-wide
applicability. Optometrists are now included in the annual pay ranges
pursuant to the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare
and Benefits Improvement Act. The pay table placement of optometrists
is intended to enhance the flexibility of the Department to recruit,
develop, and retain the most highly qualified optometrists to serve our
Nation's veterans and maintain a standard of excellence in the VA
health care system.
DATES: Annual pay ranges are applicable beginning on December 28, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Tolley, Human Resources
Specialist (Compensation), Human Resources Center of Expertise,
Workforce Management and Consulting Office, Veterans Health
Administration, (843) 864-3630.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
As required by the ``Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care
Personnel Enhancement Act of 2004,'' (Pub. L. 108-445 dated December 3,
2004) VA is hereby giving notice of annual pay ranges for VHA
physicians, dentists, podiatrists, and optometrists as prescribed by
the Secretary for Department-wide applicability. 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 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 section 7431.
On January 2, 2025, the President signed Public Law 118-210 which
further amended 38 U.S.C. 7431 to include optometrists with the
physician, dentist, and podiatrist pay system, authorizing optometrists
to receive base pay, market pay, and performance pay. With this
amendment, optometrists are also subject to the same limitations and
requirements as physicians, dentists, and podiatrists under section
7431.
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, podiatrists, optometrists, and dentists. Further, 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, podiatrist, optometrist, or dentist
cannot exceed, in any year, the amount of annual compensation
(excluding expenses) of the President. For the purposes of 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 incentive
awards for
[[Page 48556]]
performance and special contributions from total compensation
calculations.
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\1\ In accordance with Title IX, Section 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 performance awards, shall not be considered in
calculating the limitation under 38 U.S.C. 7431(e)(4).
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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 Gallagher
Advanced Practice Provider Survey, Mercer Integrated Health Network
(INH) Physician Practices/Outpatient Facilities Survey, and Payfactors
Market Data Healthcare Providers and Services Survey report were
collectively utilized as benchmarks from which to prescribe annual pay
ranges for optometrists 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 developing pay table placement and annual salary rates of
optometrists, 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, and
high-cost areas for optometrists. The second principle is to provide
ranges large enough to accommodate career progression, geographic
differences, sub-specialization, and other special factors for
optometrists.
Several VA data sources were reviewed against available, relevant
private sector data. Optometry is placed into one clinical pay range
that reflects comparable complexity in salary, recruitment, and
retention considerations.
Updates to Pay Table 1
On July 25, 2025, VA published notice in the Federal Register of
the annual pay ranges for VHA physicians, dentists, and podiatrists. 90
FR 35379. At the time the Steering Committee met in 2024, optometrists
were not included in the covered clinical specialties for Pay Table 1.
After the passage of Public Law 118-210 in 2025, a separate Steering
Committee met to determine the annual pay ranges for optometrists. The
list of covered clinical specialties for Pay Table 1, listed below, now
includes optometrists. Additionally, the minimum pay range for Pay
Table 1, Tier 1, has been increased from $121,000 to $123,077 for all
covered clinical specialties consistent with the January 12, 2025,
General Adjustment.
Pay Table 1--Clinical Specialty
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Tier level Minimum Maximum
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Tier 1............................................ $123,077 $315,000
Tier 2............................................ 145,000 335,000
Tier 3............................................ 165,000 350,000
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Pay Table 1--Covered Clinical Specialties
Allergy and Immunology
Endocrinology
Endodontics
Family Medicine
General Practice--Dentistry
Geneticist
Geriatrics
Hospital Epidemiology
Hospitalist
Infectious Diseases
Internal Medicine
Neurology
Optometry
Palliative Care
Periodontics
Physician Medicine and Rehabilitation/Spinal Cord Injury
Podiatry (General)
Preventive Medicine
Primary Care
Prosthodontics
Psychiatry
Rheumatology
Urgent Care
All other specialties or assignments
Updates to Pay Table 2
Consistent with the January 12, 2025, General Adjustment mentioned
above, the minimum pay range for Pay Table 2, Tier 1, has also been
increased from $115,587 to $123,077. While no changes were made to the
covered clinical specialties, the updated Pay Table 2 is provided
below.
Pay Table 2--Clinical Specialty
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Tier level Minimum Maximum
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Tier 1............................................ $123,077 $400,000
Tier 2............................................ 200,000 400,000
Tier 3............................................ 225,000 400,000
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Pay Table 2--Covered Clinical Specialties
Anesthesiology
Cardiology
Critical Care
Dermatology and MOHS Dermatology
Emergency Medicine
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Health Informatics
Hematology--Oncology
Nephrology
Neurosurgery
Nuclear Medicine
Ophthalmology
Oral Surgery
Otolaryngology
Pain Management
Pathology--Clinical and Anatomic
Podiatry (Surgery--Forefoot, Rearfoot/Ankle, Advanced Rearfoot/Ankle)
Pulmonary
Radiology
Radiation Oncology
Sleep Medicine
Surgery--Cardio-thoracic, General, Hand, Neuro, Orthopedic, Plastic,
Thoracic, Transplant, and Vascular
Urology
Signing Authority
Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on October 21, 2025, 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.
Taylor N. Mattson,
Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Veterans
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2025-19651 Filed 10-23-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P