U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Department of Veterans Affairs / Social Science Aid and Technician

Job-title file

Social Science Aid and Technician

Operate, maintain, and repair equipment or facilities, performing skilled hands-on work.

1,497 employees hold this title in Department of Veterans Affairs. Median total compensation for the role is $66,670, below the department median of $88,751.

Employees: 1,497
Total payroll: $96.3M
Role median: $66,670
Agency median: $88,751
Comparison: Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$0$85,560+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 1,497 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Social Science Aid and Technician pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Social Science Research Assistants — about 30,640 people — is $61,990. Department of Veterans Affairs pays a median base salary of $66,657 for this role, 8% above that figure — about the 57th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Department of Veterans Affairs sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$38,090

$48,620

$61,990

$77,760

$102,070

Department of Veterans Affairs median · $66,657

The bar is the range of annual wages for Social Science Research Assistants across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Veterans Affairs’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Computed over the 1,490 of 1,497 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Department of Veterans Affairs is $66,670, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

Social Science Aid and Technician is held in 8 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Department of Veterans Affairs, the median of $66,670 ranks #4 of 8.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Presidio Trust

$95,230 · 1

Department of Labor

$76,101 · 2

Court Services and Offendr Supervsn Agy

$68,039 · 40

Social Security Administration

$65,425 · 2

Department of Interior

$50,659 · 56

Department of Agriculture

$49,025 · 88

Department of Health and Human Services

$44,093 · 33

Median total compensation for the Social Science Aid and Technician role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 3

Melodie Anderson

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$44,001

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $44,001
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $44,001
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Loveland
Work county: Larimer
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $44,001
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 081550069
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Melodie Anderson works as a Social Science Aid and Technician for Department of Veterans Affairs based in Loveland, Colorado. Melodie earned $44,001 in 2024. Their pay grade is 05.

Jessica Elzi

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$44,001

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $44,001
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $44,001
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Loveland
Work county: Larimer
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $44,001
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 081550069
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jessica Elzi holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Loveland, Colorado. In 2024, their total compensation was $44,001. Their pay grade is 05.

Dale Gabbert

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$44,001

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $44,001
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $44,001
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Aurora
Work county: Adams
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $44,001
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 080110001
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Dale Gabbert holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Aurora, Colorado. In 2024, their total compensation was $44,001. Their pay grade is 05.

Joshua Smith

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$44,001

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $44,001
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $44,001
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Loveland
Work county: Larimer
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $44,001
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 081550069
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Joshua Smith is a Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Loveland, Colorado. 2024 total compensation came to $44,001. They are classified at grade 05.

Lucarrio Lovato

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$44,001

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $44,001
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $44,001
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Loveland
Work county: Larimer
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $44,001
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 081550069
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Veterans Affairs, Lucarrio Lovato serves as a Social Science Aid and Technician based in Loveland, Colorado. Their 2024 pay totaled $44,001. They are classified at grade 05.

Scott Koster

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$44,001

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $44,001
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $44,001
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Aurora
Work county: Adams
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $44,001
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 080110001
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Scott Koster holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Aurora, Colorado. In 2024, their total compensation was $44,001. Their pay grade is 05.

Daniel Bramlett

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,853

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,853
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,853
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Des Moines
Work county: Polk
Work state: Iowa

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,853
Basic Pay (before locality): $37,265
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 192260153
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Daniel Bramlett holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,853. Their pay grade is 05.

Zachary Gorkiewicz

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,642

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,642
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,642
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Detroit
Work county: Wayne
Work state: Michigan

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,642
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 261260163
Length of Service (Years): 8
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Zachary Gorkiewicz works as a Social Science Aid and Technician for Department of Veterans Affairs based in Detroit, Michigan. Zachary earned $43,642 in 2024. Their pay grade is 05.

Jeanne Downey

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,590

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,590
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,590
Pay grade: 03
Work city: Oklahoma City
Work county: Oklahoma
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,590
Basic Pay (before locality): $35,066
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 403550109
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jeanne Downey holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,590. Their pay grade is 03.

Frank Tucker

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,550

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,550
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,550
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Wilmington
Work county: New Castle
Work state: Delaware

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,550
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 100490003
Length of Service (Years): 7
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Frank Tucker holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,550. Their pay grade is 05.

Tonya Chandler

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,533

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,533
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,533
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Missoula
Work county: Missoula
Work state: Montana

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,533
Basic Pay (before locality): $37,265
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 300830063
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Tonya Chandler is a Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Missoula, Montana. 2024 total compensation came to $43,533. They are classified at grade 05.

Michael Reano

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,533

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,533
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,533
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Oklahoma City
Work county: Oklahoma
Work state: Oklahoma

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,533
Basic Pay (before locality): $37,265
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 403550109
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Michael Reano holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,533. Their pay grade is 05.

Michael Roe

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,533

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,533
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,533
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Grand Island
Work county: Hall
Work state: Nebraska

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,533
Basic Pay (before locality): $37,265
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 312090079
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Michael Roe holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Grand Island, Nebraska. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,533. Their pay grade is 05.

Edward Smedsrud

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,533

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,533
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,533
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Sioux Falls
Work county: Minnehaha
Work state: South Dakota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,533
Basic Pay (before locality): $37,265
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 462450099
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Edward Smedsrud holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,533. Their pay grade is 05.

Everett Thornton

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,533

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,533
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,533
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Alexandria
Work county: Rapides
Work state: Louisiana

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,533
Basic Pay (before locality): $37,265
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 220040079
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Department of Veterans Affairs, Everett Thornton serves as a Social Science Aid and Technician based in Alexandria, Louisiana. Their 2024 pay totaled $43,533. They are classified at grade 05.

Sheila Guy

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,096

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,096
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,096
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Salisbury
Work county: Rowan
Work state: North Carolina

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,096
Basic Pay (before locality): $36,136
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 374070159
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Sheila Guy is a Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Salisbury, North Carolina. 2024 total compensation came to $43,096. They are classified at grade 05.

Angel Lozano

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,085

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,085
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,085
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Las Vegas
Work county: Clark
Work state: Nevada

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,085
Basic Pay (before locality): $36,136
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 320120003
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Angel Lozano holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,085. Their pay grade is 05.

Lawrence Lilienthal

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,076

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,076
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,076
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Minneapolis
Work county: Hennepin
Work state: Minnesota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,076
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 274760053
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Lawrence Lilienthal works as a Social Science Aid and Technician for Department of Veterans Affairs based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lawrence earned $43,076 in 2024. Their pay grade is 05.

Joseph Steahl

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,076

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,076
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,076
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Minneapolis
Work county: Hennepin
Work state: Minnesota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,076
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 274760053
Length of Service (Years): 0
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Joseph Steahl is a Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2024 total compensation came to $43,076. They are classified at grade 05.

Ricky Hall

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$43,076

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $43,076
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $43,076
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Minneapolis
Work county: Hennepin
Work state: Minnesota

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $43,076
Basic Pay (before locality): $33,878
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 274760053
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Ricky Hall holds the role of Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2024, their total compensation was $43,076. Their pay grade is 05.

James Snyder

Social Science Aid and Technician/Department of Veterans Affairs

2024 total comp

$42,879

Sub-department: Veterans Health Administration
Base pay: $42,879
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $42,879
Pay grade: 05
Work city: Bettendorf
Work county: Scott
Work state: Iowa

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $42,879
Basic Pay (before locality): $36,136
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 190790163
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0102
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

James Snyder is a Social Science Aid and Technician at Department of Veterans Affairs based in Bettendorf, Iowa. 2024 total compensation came to $42,879. They are classified at grade 05.