Current Issues and Accomplishments
Pay for SES Physicians
On May 28, the House passed a bill that excludes certain appointed positions within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from current executive schedule salary caps. Specifically, the current salary caps do not apply for (1) appointed directors of VA medical centers, (2) appointed directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks, and (3) appointees of the Office of the Under Secretary for Health. The bill authorizes the VA to waive the salary limitations on such employees who were appointed during the period beginning on November 1, 2010, and ending on the day before the enactment of this bill.
Does this, or should it apply to all SES Medical Officers?
Annual Report on Physician Pay
Years ago, most federal physicians were paid a retention incentive called the Physician Comparability Allowance (PCA) and there was a fairly comprehensive annual report that detailed average pay of physicians by agency. Now, except for the Bureau of Prisons and the Dept of State, who still pay the PCA, the annual PCA report is reporting on a very small percentage of total physicians.
The annual PCA report should be modified to report on the base, market and total pay of all federal physicians.
Accomplishments
For over 35 years, the Federal Physicians Association has been the principal advocate for the concerns of federal civil service physicians. FPA has worked on behalf of federal physicians to:
- Urge Congress to include the Physicians Comparability Allowance (PCA) in basic pay for retirement purposes
- Lobby Congress and the Clinton Administration to increase in the maximum PCA to $30,000 a year.
- Provide detailed pay and benefit information to ensure union contracts covering federal physicians include the most favorable pay and benefit guidelines.
- Secure a legal opinion to support a law that mandates periodic increases in physician special pay rates.
- Notify the Office of Personnel Management of an error in published special pay rates for physicians, resulting in a substantial pay increase for several GS-14/15 physicians..
- Lobby for federal government approval of the Department of Health and Human Services Title 38 physician special pay plan.