Step increases every other year?!

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Specializes in Adult Psych.

I work for the VA in Seattle and they are instituting as of this year a change to our step increases. If you are Nurse 2 then you will now only receive a step increase every other year.

is this happening at other va's? Our retention at this va is terrible d/t non competitive pay with private hospitals and higher paying states nearby.

I've never worked at a facility that didn't give me a yearly step increase.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

Step increases are generally every 2 years. Remember there also is an across the board raise almost every year. This means that you can receive 2 pay raises in 1 year. How long have you been a nurse and at the VA? From what I have seen by wages for RN's in the federal government is that the wages are lower for newer nurses but higher than the local hospitals for RN's after time. You also need to look at benefits and working conditions.

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Specializes in Adult Psych.

I didn't know about the across the board raise. I've been a RN for 5 years and at the VA for 1 year. I've tried to look through the contract and asked different departments for more information (obv I'm pretty confused) but have been hitting dead ends.

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Specializes in EMT, ER, Homehealth, OR.

Contact your HR department they should be able to help you with this.

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Specializes in A little bit of this and that.

Checkout OPM, I believe it may be in some VA handbook as well, Nurse 2 steps have always been every other year. Maybe your HR was not following that in the past.

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