July 2025

Abstract

Federal veterinarians serve critical roles in safeguarding public and animal health through their work in agencies such as USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, compensation disparities between federal and private-sector veterinarians have led to challenges in recruitment and retention. This paper outlines the actions taken by the National Association of Federal Veterinarians (NAFV) to improve pay equity, including legislative advocacy, new classification initiatives, and support for loan repayment programs. The implications of deferred resignations and reductions in force (RIFs) on federal veterinary programs are also explored, with emphasis on their impact on One Health capacity and national disease response.

Veterinarians working in public practice are vital to national biosecurity, food safety, zoonotic disease prevention, and public health. Despite the mission-critical nature of their work, federal veterinarians face considerable pay inequities when compared to private-sector counterparts. NAFV, in collaboration with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), has led efforts to address these disparities through direct advocacy, administrative reforms, and data-driven recommendations.

NAFV has worked in partnership with AVMA to promote several legislative initiatives aimed at addressing the pay gap for federal veterinarians. These include establishing professional pay authority, securing special pay and bonuses, supporting loan reimbursement incentives, and reestablishing the Senate Veterinary Medicine Caucus.

Advocacy for updated Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports has been central to NAFV’s strategy, providing a data-backed basis for systemic change. Title 5 and Title 42 of the U.S. Code offer routes to improving compensation. Title 5 governs general federal employment, while Title 42 allows for more competitive pay for scientific and technical professionals.

FSIS introduced the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Officer (DVMO) position at the GS-13 level to attract and retain experienced veterinarians. This non-supervisory role offers better work-life balance and career progression but may reduce staffing for inspection roles.

NAFV advocates for increased locality pay in rural and high-cost areas and supports specialty pay for board-certified veterinarians, especially through ACVPM. Through support of USDA-NIFA’s VMLRP, NAFV emphasizes the need to relieve student debt as a recruitment tool. Expanded eligibility is essential. Entry-level federal veterinarians earn $20,000 to $30,000 less than private peers. FSIS vacancy rates can be as high as 23%, posing risks to public safety.

Deferred resignations and reductions in force (RIFs) have significantly impacted staffing. The Supreme Court temporarily lifted an injunction, allowing agencies to resume layoffs. FDA, FSIS, and APHIS have all been affected. Erosion of the federal veterinary workforce undermines One Health response capabilities, especially in emergent zoonoses like H5N1 avian influenza.

Conclusion

Efforts by the National Association of Federal Veterinarians (NAFV) to reform compensation remain essential for attracting and retaining the best and brightest into public‑practice veterinary roles. After the last Government Accountability Office (GAO) review in 2009, federal agencies have seen recurring warnings—resounding vacancy rates up to 40%, department-wide projections of veterinarians nearing retirement, and competitive disadvantages against private-sector salaries (gao.gov, fedmanager.com). These warning signs aren't new; they’ve been consistent across every GAO update since 2009, including a 2015 review that urged strategic workforce planning for surge and emergency preparedness.

Why a new GAO report matters

A fresh GAO study—requested more than a decade after the last—will provide an essential, authoritative benchmark of current federal veterinary staffing, comparative pay scales, vacancy rates, specialty shortages, and systemic weaknesses. In 2023, NAFV and AVMA reaffirmed the need for an updated assessment, pointing to evolving One Health threats (COVID‑19, avian influenza, African swine fever, climate-driven disease emergence) and escalating student debt driving new veterinarians toward private practice (avma.org). This new report would quantify:

- Workforce sufficiency: How many veterinarians are needed for routine and emergency functions?

- Salary competitiveness: The current disparity between public and private veterinary salaries—private graduates earning ~$114k vs. public ~$88k (dvm360.com, gao.gov, avma.org).

- Specialty gaps: Critical shortages in areas like public health, epidemiology, and diagnostic medicine—particularly at NIH and CDC—where future needs will outpace supply.

Foundation for policy-driven reform
A new GAO analysis would underpin efforts to negotiate and implement:
- Professional pay (Title 42 or other special pay authorities)
- Locality and specialty pay add-ons
- Loan repayment and hiring/retention bonuses
- Strategic workforce planning through OPM

GAO’s 2009 and 2015 reports found that without government-wide assessments and OPM-led coordination, agencies continued to operate in isolation, competing with each other instead of leveraging shared resources (gao.gov, fedmanager.com). A fresh report would finally catalyze collective action.

The way forward
Ongoing advocacy for updated compensation policies and legislative authorities—bolstered by a robust GAO report—can establish a resilient public veterinary infrastructure capable of safeguarding animal welfare, food safety, and national health security. Only with sustained policy reform, backed by timely data and coordinated implementation, can the federal veterinary workforce regain—and sustain—the strength needed to meet mission-critical responsibilities in both routine operations and crises.

In short, NAFV’s push for a new GAO report is a pivotal step. It’s not just about numbers—it’s about empowering evidence-based compensation reform, enhancing recruitment and retention, and securing the nation’s veterinary capacity for One Health challenges both today and tomorrow.

References

• American Veterinary Medical Association. (2023). Resolution 18F: Support for federal public practice veterinarians. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/2023S_Resolution18F.pdf
• American Veterinary Medical Association. (2025). Veterinarians among those cut in extensive layoffs at HHS. AVMA News. https://www.avma.org/news
• DVM360. (2023). GAO report: Agency says U.S. clueless on staffing DVM workforce. https://www.dvm360.com/view/gao-report-agency-says-us-clueless-staffing-dvm-workforce
• Federal News Network. (2025). As agencies begin a second round of deferred resignations, unions revive legal challenge. https://federalnewsnetwork.com
• FedManager. (2023). Recruitment and retention of veterinarians in federal service is presenting an ever-greater challenge. https://www.fedmanager.com/news/recruitment-and-retention-of-veterinarians-in-federal-service-is-presenting-an-ever-greater-challenge
• Food Safety Magazine. (2025). More than 15,000 USDA employees take Trump administration’s resignation offer. https://www.food-safety.com
• GAO. (2009). Veterinarian Workforce: Actions Are Needed to Ensure Sufficient Capacity for Protecting Public and Animal Health (GAO-09-178). U.S. Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-09-178.pdf
• GAO. (2015). Federal Workforce: Improved Supervision and Better Use of Probationary Periods Are Needed to Address Substandard Employee Performance (GAO-15-495). U.S. Government Accountability Office. https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-15-495.pdf
• GovExec. (2025, May). Most major agencies are now indefinitely barred from issuing mass layoffs. https://www.govexec.com
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2013). Workforce Needs in Veterinary Medicine. The National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/13413/chapter/10
• Reuters. (2025, May). Staff exodus at US farm agency leaves fewer experts to battle bird flu. https://www.reuters.com