{"id":25613,"date":"2023-08-03T19:40:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T19:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/08\/03\/it-workers-at-va-get-17-pay-boost-to-narrow-gap-with-private-sector\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:08:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:08:34","slug":"it-workers-at-va-get-17-pay-boost-to-narrow-gap-with-private-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2023\/08\/03\/it-workers-at-va-get-17-pay-boost-to-narrow-gap-with-private-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"IT workers at VA get 17% pay boost to narrow gap with private sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As of this week, nearly all IT employees at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will receive an average salary increase of 17%, thanks to a new special pay rate designation that\u2019s aimed to help close the gap between what technologists earn in the private and public sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year in the making, the pay raise, <\/a>which works out to an average $18,000, aims to help the agency recruit and retain high-demand tech workers as VA modernizes its health benefits systems that process hundreds of thousands of claims related to toxic burn pit exposures and other issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan Tierney, deputy chief information officer and chief people officer at the VA, said when he came into his position two years ago, the agency was struggling to hire for these kinds of roles while demands of cybersecurity and government technology were only growing. And that challenge was being felt by companies, too, who compete for this talent pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\t