WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Representatives Jared Golden (ME-02), and Chellie Pingree (ME-01) are urging the Biden administration to increase the pay rate for the roughly 1,400 Veterans Affairs employees in Kennebec and Penobscot Counties. 

In a letter to U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja, the Maine leaders explain the need for better salaries to recruit and retain workers and why VA staff in the counties should receive Boston area pay instead of their current “Rest of United States” pay. Federal employees in four Maine counties already receive Boston area pay.

“We write today to strongly urge the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Salary Council to consider changing the locality pay for Kennebec and Penobscot Counties in Maine,” write the lawmakers.    

“As the oldest state in the nation, with the fifth highest veteran population, Mainers rely heavily on the services offered at VA facilities,” continue the lawmakers. “The VA's ability to provide our veterans the level of care they deserve is impacted by job vacancies and a high rate of turnover among its health care workforce, most often the result of pay and compensation issues, exacerbated by the increased cost of living. An increased locality pay rate for Kennebec and Penobscot Counties is critical for ensuring the recruitment and retention of the federal workforce in these areas, offering salaries commensurate to their private sector counterparts, allowing them to continue to carry out their agencies’ missions effectively.”

In total, VA facilities in both counties employ roughly 1,400 General Scheduler (GS) employees who would benefit from a locality pay adjustment. The Boston-Worcester-Providence GS Locality is one of 53 GS Locality Areas used to determine local cost-of-living pay adjustments for federal government employees. Currently, York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, and Sagadahoc counties are included in this locality. The 2023 Boston Locality Pay Adjustment is significantly more than the “Rest of United States” designation that the two Maine counties currently have.

As the lawmakers wrote in their letter, Kennebec County is home to the Togus Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, the only Veterans Health Administration Medical Center servicing the state of Maine. Penobscot County is home to the Bangor Vet Center and the Bangor VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic, the only clinic outside of Portland, ME, to offer audiology, cardiology, and dental services. 

The text of the letter can be found here and below.

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Dear Director Ahuja,  

We write today to strongly urge the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Salary Council to consider changing the locality pay for Kennebec and Penobscot Counties in Maine.  

Kennebec County is the duty station to more than 1,300 GS employees and includes the Togus Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, the only Veterans Health Administration Medical Center servicing the state of Maine. In addition to primary care, Togus VA Medical Center is the only facility in the state providing geriatric care, homeless veteran care, caregiver support, spinal cord injuries and disorders care, and pain management services.  

Penobscot County is home to the Bangor VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and Bangor Vet Center, with over 100 GS employees uniquely serving the needs of their community. The Bangor CBOC is the only clinic outside of Portland, ME, to offer audiology, cardiology, and dental services. The Bangor Vet Center supplements, and is separate from, the mental health counseling services provided through traditional VA medical centers, helping address already existing challenges in a veteran’s ability to access timely mental health services.   

As the oldest state in the nation, with the fifth highest veteran population, Mainers rely heavily on the services offered at VA facilities. Workforce retention continues to be of utmost importance. The VA's ability to provide our veterans the level of care they deserve is impacted by job vacancies and a high rate of turnover among its health care workforce, most often the result of pay and compensation issues, exacerbated by the increased cost of living.  An increased locality pay rate for Kennebec and Penobscot Counties is critical for ensuring the recruitment and retention of the federal workforce in these areas, offering salaries commensurate to their private sector counterparts, allowing them to continue to carry out their agencies’ missions effectively.  

We urge the Federal Salary Council to include Kennebec and Penobscot Counties as areas of application to the Boston locality pay area. The "Rest of United States" designation does not promote equitable access to care for our Maine veterans and pay for our healthcare providers as the cost of living is similar to surrounding counties that are included in the Boston locality. 

Thank you for your consideration of this request.