New Mexico VA Health Care System

VA Benefits

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

Community, Facility and Organization

The New Mexico VA Health Care System is a tertiary referral center consisting of 184 acute hospital beds, 90 residential rehabilitation treatment program beds and a 36 bed Nursing Home Care Unit. Albuquerque is home to the sole VA hospital in the state but the NMVAHCS operates six (6) VA-staffed Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and five (5) contract CBOCs throughout the State and southern Colorado. Annually, over 44,000 veterans are served and 33,000 hospital days and 500,000 outpatient visits are provided. In addition to its affiliation with the University of New Mexico, NMVAHCS enjoys affiliations with Central New Mexico Community College, Santa Fe Community College and New Mexico State University.

Albuquerque is a major metropolitan area with a population exceeding 600,000. It has mild winters and pleasant summers. Outdoor activities include hiking, skiing, mountain climbing, fishing, hunting, biking, year-round golf and tennis. NMVAHCS is located on a 100 acre campus; is a 217 bed medical, surgical, psychiatric and research and academic facility with Spinal Cord Injury Center and Geriatric and Extended Care Unit; integrated outpatient and inpatient services provided; full range of primary care, tertiary care; referral services; primary referral site for VISN 18, with significant clinical programs in cardiology surgery, gastroenterology, inpatient psychiatry, lithotripsy and others; affiliated with UNM; VA/DOD joint venture with KAFB ambulatory care facility; Community Based Outpatient Clinics.