FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt Dorsey
Phone: 202-550-6987
December 6, 2023
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) praises the introduction of the VA Correct Compensation Act (H.R. 6538), legislation that would allow federal unions to file grievances on behalf of Veterans Affairs healthcare professionals in the event of payroll errors and underpayments.
“For decades, VA employees who are classified under Title 38 have had no recourse if their compensation was affected by mistakes in the agency’s payroll processing,” said NFFE President Randy Erwin. “This means that dedicated registered nurses, physicians, physician assistants, dentists, and other professionals are subject to unjust wage losses at no fault of their own, with no way to recoup lost pay.”
The VA Correct Compensation Act will amend existing law so that Title 38 employees will have the right to collectively bargain when they experience an underpayment or other payroll error, like other VA employees currently have the ability to do. This technical fix in the law will increase transparency within the VA, which is critical during a time when the agency is struggling with recruitment and retention of medical staff.
“Every VA employee deserves to be fairly compensated for the incredible work they do in caring for America’s Veterans,” continued Erwin. The VA Correct Compensation Act is a simple, but necessary fix to this problem. NFFE applauds Chairman Bost and Ranking Member Takano for their leadership on this issue, and we urge Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation as soon as possible.”