The Rheumatology Physician has clinical duties for the Rheumatology consultation services for inpatients and outpatients, integrated primary and subspecialty care. The inpatient Rheumatology consult service provides recommendations for the diagnosis and management of rheumatic entities throughout the entire medical center including the Community Living Center. Outpatient Rheumatology consultations include guidance in diagnosis and treatment for a variety of rheumatic illnesses, and collaborates with primary care, geriatric and orthopedic services to comanage patients. Outpatient Rheumatology service sites include the Washington DC VA Medical Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

• Engages in teaching and mentoring medical students, interns, residents and Rheumatology Fellows through supervised clinical work, lectures and formal didactic presentations.
• Researches to support the basic science, epidemiology, VA, national and international clinical trials and projects in the Rheumatology Section, and to mentor trainees on how to develop clinical research and seek new research funding opportunities.
• Establishes inter-personal and intra-departmental relationships to enhance optimal patient care.
• Provides clinical guidance in person, via Telehealth or via Secure Messaging.
• Ensures accurate documentation of medical assessments and observations.
• Maintains current training requirements for Medical Center Credentialing.
• Maintains familiarity and compliance with hospital infection prevention policies, ensuring anti-septic methods in performing all clinic procedures.

 The more than 2,000 employees and volunteers of the Washington DC VA Medical Center take great pride in providing world-class health care to all Veterans in an environment that fosters compassion, commitment and service.

 Our mission is to respect and serve our Nation’s Veterans by honoring them with excellent health care at our main facility and at our five community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) located in Ft. Belvoir, VA; Southeast Washington, DC; and in Greenbelt, Charlotte Hall and Camp Springs, MD. The Medical Center also operates a Community Resource and Referral Center for homeless and at-risk Veterans which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

 The Medical Center’s culture and presence is transforming to meet the needs of more than 106,903 Veterans who are enrolled for VA health care in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. In FY 2013, the Medical Center had more than one-million (1,263,472) patient encounters and we are excited about expanding programs and offering services to meet the unique needs of Veterans.

The Medical Center
The Washington DC VA Medical Center, located within sight of the Nation’s Capitol, is the only health care system that specifically provides care to Veterans. Offering tertiary care in a Complexity Level IB hospital, allows ours staff to provide comprehensive primary and specialty care in medicine, surgery, neurology and psychiatry. The Medical Center has 175 acute care beds, 30 Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment beds, and a 20-suite Fisher House. Also, the Medical Center is home to an adjacent 120-bed Community Living Center which provides Veterans with geriatric long-term care, hospice and palliative care.

Specialized Services
We provide specialized services and care for Veterans such as: invasive and noninvasive cardiology, home based primary care, women’s health, MRI, PET/CT center, interventional radiology, renal care, trauma services, nutritional services, homeless outreach, compensated work therapy, substance abuse treatment, recreation therapy, and alternative therapies as well as a wide variety of Telehealth services.

We are home to the VISN 5 Polytrauma Network Site and Polytrauma Amputation Network Site and ensure the coordination of lifelong rehabilitation services to Veterans with brain injuries and limb loss, as they progress from acute care to their homes.

OEF/OIF/OND Veterans
The Medical Center’s OEF/OIF/OND Program Office is ready to assist returning Veterans with care coordination as well as VA benefits, claims issues, and support to help ease their transition from active duty to civilian life. Together, the Case Manager and Veteran or Service Member will work as a team to deal with the physical, emotional, and social concerns associated with being a combat Veteran.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service