BURLINGTON, Vt., Jan. 12 – Following a push from the Vermont Congressional Delegation, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is increasing pay for federal employees in Vermont who support Vermonters through their work at places like the White River Junction VA Medical Center.

The locality pay increase applies to federal employees in Addison, Lamoille, and Washington Counties in Vermont who will now receive the same locality pay as federal employees living in the Burlington Locality Pay area – and to Orange and Windsor counties in Vermont who will now receive the same locality pay as employees living in the Boston area. The classification changes will mean that more than 1,000 federal employees will now receive more competitive pay rates that took effect on January 1, 2024.

“Assuring Vermonters receive the best federal services requires supporting programs that attract and retain dedicated public servants,” said the delegation. “To do this, federal agencies must provide resources for prevailing wage issues and long-term cost of living increases. Ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs can pay its employees a living wage to care for our nations’ veterans – as well as our federal employees who work for other critical agencies like Social Security – is the least we can do. This pay raise is good news for all those Vermonters in our federal workforce and for their fellow Vermonters who they serve.”

The announcement comes after the Vermont Congressional Delegation urged OPM to take this action, and will help increase efforts to hire and retain federal employees for critical efforts, including implementation of the PACT Act, which Sanders, Welch, and colleagues passed into law last year to help get veterans exposed to toxic substances the VA health care and benefits that they need.