VA Nurse Pay Scales

Need help finding Title 38 pay schedules? I stumbled across this today for anyone who needs it: Title 38 Pay Schedules

If you know your VA's station number you can look up the pay scale in the first section or you can look up the state in the section below.

Grade 01 = Nurse I

Grade 02 = Nurse II and so on

Nurse I, Level 2 pay starts at Step 03 and Level 3 starts at Step 05.

As a new grad with a BSN, I started as a Nurse I, Level 2, Step 05.

Hope this helps!

[boywithacoin, BSN]

They still haven't posted the new salary levels, but we have been approved for a locality adjustment raise. I haven't gotten mine yet, but I have been getting a 10% retention bonus since being there for 90 days. Once the new locality adjustment goes through, I'll stop getting the bonus.

The percentage of the raise varies from the type of nurse and where you are in the state; what you heard from the HR rep is correct according to my calculations, but that's assuming you start at RN I, Level 2, Step 3 at the Portland campus. Once you're boarded, obviously they'll tell you your salary, but you'll also know what level/step you're at so you can look at the locality pay tables online to compare.

Also, as far as loan forgiveness goes, you have to be in a public service position full-time for 10 years making your payments on time every month before your loans will be forgiven. However, depending on what department you'll be in, there are some loan repayment options offered by the VA in exchange for 2-3 years of service. At the Portland VA, those funds are limited and usually only available to their critical shortage areas, like ICU, ED, OR, etc. Where will you be?

Congratulations on your employment! I have been working here since August as a new grad on one of the med-surg units and I'm enjoying it.

[kathy48]

I was hired at at Nurse II level II with a Masters Degree and teaching experience. Also 10 years as an RN experience.

I know that a new grad RN started in the same organization at 5,000 more and doesn't have a Masters degree nor has the RN ever taught nursing. This difference Ive come to learn is something called "Locality Pay" and for the outpatient clinic at manage its supposed to be 10,000 because we follow NY state pay grade. I should be making 69,000. Not 59,000. But I. Keep getting the runaround. Other nurses said I accepted the offer too fast. They indeed, lowballed me.

[bokyeongyoo]

I was on board at VA hospital today and the HR person informed my grade with the total amount I will receive but I am still confused. She said I will get paid 10% more for the pm shift and 25% more during the weekend. Are those percentages already included in my yearly income or will the differential be added up?

[BJPMH]

kristykat said:

If you know your VA's station number you can look up the pay scale in the first section or you can look up the state in the section below.

Grade 01 = Nurse I

Grade 02 = Nurse II and so on

Nurse I, Level 2 pay starts at Step 03 and Level 3 starts at Step 05.

As a new grad with a BSN, I started as a Nurse I, Level 2, Step 05.

Hope this helps!

I'm a veteran who falls under 10 point preference and will be graduating with a MSN with no experience. Would I fall under Grade 1/Nurse 1, Level 3, Step 5?

[NurseStephen, ASN, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN]

@BJPMH & @Mergirlc - 

Yes, a MSN from a Bridge Program with No RN experience would be a Nurse 1 Level 3. If there was at least 1 year experience, then probable entry to a Nurse 2.

[RN_BSN_2022, BSN]

Hello there.. did you get to negotiate your pay scale?  And who decides your pay scale? Iam a new BSN grad too.. 

[miteacher, ADN, MSN]

I'm curious when you get promoted fron a nurse II to nurse III, do you go up to the same step?

[boywithacoin, BSN]

For any promotion from one level to the next, you are placed at the steps that corresponds to just greater than the step that is 2 steps above your current step. Does that make sense?

so example is if you're a nurse II step 8 and your salary is 100,000, and step 10 is 110,000 and step 11 is 115,000, then when you go up to nurse III, you'll get placed at the step that is at least 110,000, but doesn't go over 115,000.

[RN_BSN_2022, BSN]

Maybe higher step in nurse 1 but definutely not nurse 2..

[boywithacoin, BSN]

If I understand correctly, you mean Nurse 1, level 2, in which case it's likely that you would start at level 2 regardless if you have a BSN. I believe I've commented elsewhere in this thread that I was hired at a step higher than the other new grads hired at the same time as me who had the same credentials other than the fact that I had been a VALOR student. Hired at N1L2S5 vs step 4 for the other new grad nurses hired at the same time. But your mileage may vary!

[NursinAintEasy, BSN, DNP, PhD, RN]

So for the nursing pay schedules at the VA website, my current pay falls under the 2022 pay schedule not the 2023 schedule.

In other words, I can find my salary exactly to the dollar for my paygrade (grade 4 step 7) in the 2022 tables. But the 2023 tables show a higher salary than what I am currently getting for my paygrade. The 2023 tables say they were updated 5/26/23, so would I be right in assuming that they are showing the pay schedule for next year? 

Not a big deal; I am more just curious about the discrepancy and to how exactly these pay schedules work. 

[boywithacoin, BSN]

Your pay should match the current year's pay table. If the scales were just updated on 5/26/2023, it may be that pay admin is behind in updating salaries in the pay system. That has happened a few times to me over the years, more so since they centralized HR to the VISN level. You should get backpay to the date the new scale went into effect. Do you have anything in your eOPF about a pay adjustment? Usually titled "Notification of Personnel Action". It will tell you the effective date. I sometimes get the eOPF notification a few weeks in advance of when I actually see the adjustment on my paycheck.

That said, I would personally check with my direct manager or payroll specialist.