Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration: 2009 Best Employers for Workers Over 50

By: AARP.org | Source: AARP.org | September 2009

Winning Years: 2009
Industry: Government - Federal
Location: Washington, D.C.
URL: www.vacareers.va.gov

Highlights of 2009 Winning Strategies
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), part of the Department of Veterans Affairs, emphasizes continued learning and development for its employees. The VHA's highly skilled workforce is eligible for various tuition-reimbursement, loan-forgiveness, and scholarship programs, in addition to training resources and requirements. Fifty percent of VHA employees are age 50+.
Workplace Culture and Continued Opportunities: The VHA offers the following learning and development opportunities to its employees: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, online training, certification classes, nursing scholarships, and loan-forgiveness programs. A full 100 percent of VHA employees used at least one of the learning and development opportunities in 2008, so each employee underwent an average of 30 hours of instruction.

At Veterans' Health, long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties, and awards. Employees can also receive temporary job assignments, team projects, and access to a formal job-rotation program to develop new experience and skills. In addition, the VHA proctors Presidential Management Fellows and Technical Career Field interns.

The VHA is committed to maintaining an accommodating work environment for its employees with physical limitations. It provides specialized computer equipment, telephone equipment, ambulation devices, interpreters, and ergonomic work stations.

Benefits/Health: The VHA provides the following individual and family health benefits to all employees: medical, prescription-drug, vision, dental, and long-term-care insurance. Retirees below and above age 65 are eligible for retiree and spousal medical insurance, prescription-drug coverage, vision, dental, and long-term-care insurance, and death benefits. Federal retirees and their surviving spouses retain their eligibility for health coverage at the same cost as current employees. The VHA offers a health flexible spending account (FSA) to help defray out-of-pocket medical expenses.  

Benefits/Financial: All VHA employees can invest in defined-benefit and defined-contribution retirement plans with an employer match. Employees are able to invest in life-cycle funds and to make catch-up contributions. Members of the VHA staff and external financial experts provide financial-planning information to employees.

VHA permits unpaid short- and long-term leave for employees with caregiving responsibilities. In addition, VHA supports the Voluntary Leave-Transfer Program, which allows federal employees to donate annual leave to other federal employees who are experiencing medical emergencies.

Flu shots, smoking-cessation programs, discounts to local health clubs, and weight-loss counseling—all are wellness benefits available to full- and part-time employees.

VHA provides on-site child care and referral services to help employees find care for children, grandchildren, and elders.

Benefits/Alternative-Work Arrangements: VHA offers its employees alternative work arrangements, such as flextime, compressed-work schedules, and telecommuting. Full-time employees may also move to part-time work on either a temporary or permanent basis. 

Opportunities for Retirees:  Retirees stay connected to the organization through regular communications from VHA and via its acknowledgements of new retirements. Retirees may also benefit from temporary work assignments, consulting or contract work, telecommuting, and full- or part-time work.

Age of Workforce: Fifty percent of VHA employees are age 50+.