Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Jobs and Profile

Annual (Vacation) Leave: A specified amount of Annual Leave is accrued at the end of each semi-monthly pay period, depending on number of years of employment with the state.  A limited amount may be carried over from year to year.  Unused Annual Leave, up to a maximum amount, will be paid out upon separation from state service. 

Family & Personal Leave: Employees with less than 10 years of service will receive 32 hours of Family & Personal Leave per year.  If the start date of employment is after July 1, the employee will only receive ½ of the total, or 16 hours through the end of that year.  Family & Personal Leave may be used for any reason including caring for a sick family member, or like Annual or Sick Leave.   Family & Personal Leave balances cannot be carried forward, & refresh on January 10 each year with the full amount.

Sick Leave: Employees with less than 5 years of service will receive 64 hours of Sick Leave per year, under the Virginia Sickness & Disability Program.  If the start date of employment is after July 1, the employee will receive a reduced amount, 40 hours, through the end of that year.  Sick Leave can be used for any short-incident absence such as personal illness, injury, doctors’ appointments, etc.    Sick Leave balances cannot be carried forward, & refresh on January 10 of each year with the full amount.

Short-Term & Long-Term Disability: Short-Term Disability provides the new employee with up to 125 days of pay at 100%, 80% or 60%, after a 7-day waiting period (includes Sat. & Sun.) in the event of a disability or partial disability.  STD is intended to bridge the gap between the end of Sick Leave & the beginning of Long-Term Disability.  The amount of income replacement for new employees is: 100% - 5 days; 80% - 20 days; 60% - 100 days. If, after the end of the STD period, the employee is still unable to return to work, Long-Term Disability takes effect.  LTD provides the employee with 60% income replacement & may be paid up through normal retirement age (65).  After LTD, the employee is eligible for service retirement. 

Leave to Provide Community Service: Employees are granted up to 16 hours of Leave to Provide Community Service per year, through school assistance or as a volunteer member of a community service organization.

Health Insurance: A number of different health plans are offered to State employees, depending on where they live or work.  The State pays an approved amount toward each employee’s premium. If the health insurance enrollment form is turned in to Human Resources on or before the last day of the month in which you are hired, your health insurance coverage will begin the first day of the month after you are hired. 

Life Insurance: All full-time, classified employees participate in the group life insurance plan administered by the Virginia Retirement System at no cost to the employee.  The amount of an employee’s life insurance for death from natural causes is his/her annual salary rounded to the next highest thousand, then doubled. 

Long-Term Care Insurance: The Virginia Retirement System (VRS) manages the long-term care program as part of the Virginia Sickness & Disability Program (VSDP).  VRS has contracted with the Long Term Care Group, Inc. to administer benefits under the plan.  You are covered under the VSDP long-term care plan if you participate in VSDP.  The VSDP Long-Term Care Plan assists you in paying for nursing home care, assisted living facility care, hospice care, at-home services & community-based care.  The maximum daily benefit amount is $96 with a lifetime maximum of $70,080.

Virginia Retirement System (VRS): The State pays the full member contribution (5% of your creditable compensation) for participation in the retirement system.  VRS provides monthly retirement benefits for all vested, full-time salaried employees in addition to the monthly payment from social security.  Your contribution may be paid out upon separation from the State.

Deferred Compensation: All eligible newly hired or re-hired salaried state employees will have $20 per pay period automatically deferred to the 457 Plan, unless they 1) actively enroll in the plan prior to the date the first deferral would be sent, 2) begin actively contributing to a 403(b) arrangement or 3) opt out of participation.  Employees who are enrolled automatically will receive a $10 employer match to the 401(a) Cash Match Plan, for a total of $30 to the employee’s accounts per pay period.