---
kind: "section"
citation: "38 U.S.C. § 7432"
title: "38"
title_heading: "Veterans’ Benefits"
number: "7432"
heading: "Pay of Under Secretary for Health"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/38/7432"
units:
  - "Part V — Boards, Administrations, and Services"
  - "Chapter 74 — Veterans Health Administration—personnel"
  - "Subchapter III — Pay for Physicians, Podiatrists, Optometrists, and Dentists"
---

# §7432. Pay of Under Secretary for Health

- (a) **Base Pay.—** The base pay of the Under [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) for Health shall be the annual rate of basic pay for positions at Level III of the Executive Schedule under [section 5314 of title 5](/usc/5/5314.md).
- (b) **Market Pay.—**
  - (1) In the case of an Under [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) for Health who is also a physician, podiatrist, optometrist, or dentist, in addition to the base pay specified in [subsection (a)](#a) the Under [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) for Health may also be paid the market pay element of pay of physicians and dentists under [section 7431(c) of this title](/usc/38/7431.md?p=c).
  - (2) The amount of market pay of the Under [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) for Health under this subsection shall be established by the [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1).
  - (3) In establishing the amount of market pay of the Under [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) for Health under this subsection, the [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) shall utilize an appropriate health care labor market selected by the [Secretary](/usc/38/101.md?p=1) for purposes of this subsection.
- (c) **Treatment of Pay.—** Pay under this section shall be considered pay for all purposes, including retirement benefits under chapters [83](/usc/5/chptIII/sptG/ch83.md) and [84](/usc/5/chptIII/sptG/ch84.md) of title 5 and other benefits.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 108–445, § 3(b), Dec. 3, 2004, 118 Stat. 2640; amended Pub. L. 118–210, title I, § 142(a)(3)(A), Jan. 2, 2025, 138 Stat. 2746.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 7432, added Pub. L. 102–40, title I, § 102, May 7, 1991, 105 Stat. 189; amended Pub. L. 102–405, title III, § 302(c)(1), Oct. 9, 1992, 106 Stat. 1984; Pub. L. 104–262, title III, § 346, Oct. 9, 1996, 110 Stat. 3208, related to written agreements for special pay, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 108–445.

### Amendments

2025—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 118–210 inserted “, podiatrist, optometrist,” after “physician”.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2025 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 118–210 applicable to any pay period of the Department of Veterans Affairs beginning on or after the date that is 180 days after Jan. 2, 2025, see section 142(a)(5) of Pub. L. 118–210, set out as a note under section 7431 of this title.