California / Veterans Affairs

Agency file

Veterans Affairs

Source file: California — State Employee Compensation (SCO Payroll Data Warehouse, CPRA) / ingested Jul 4, 2026

The Veterans Affairs serves military veterans — benefits, healthcare, and support programs.

In 2025, this agency had 3,545 employees with median total compensation of $59,957; the highest distinct record was $514,483.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $244.1M
Employees: 3,545
Median total: $59,957
Highest record: $514,483

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

-$7,490$178,277+

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

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 3,545 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($59,957) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $61,229 (89%)
Overtime — $4,601 (7%)
Other — $3,020 (4%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$8,058

$42,537

$59,957

$88,492

$130,165

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $130,165 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $8,058. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Certified Nursing Assistant

606 · $55,693

Food Service Technician I

269 · $46,328

Registered Nurse

243 · $133,424

Licensed Vocational Nurse

203 · $69,452

Custodian I

191 · $48,459

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 3 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2023	$223.8M —	3,382 —	$58,011 —
2024	$233.5M ▲ 4.3%	3,537 ▲ 4.6%	$58,317 ▲ 0.5%
2025	$244.1M ▲ 4.5%	3,545 ▲ 0.2%	$59,957 ▲ 2.8%

Record list

Employees

Page 2

Chester Sunde

Staff Psychologist -Clinical-/Veterans Affairs

2025 total comp

$147,831

Sub-department: Veterans Home of CA, Redding
Base pay: $147,331
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $500
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $147,831
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R19
Work county: Shasta
Middle name: H

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $13,272
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5781469847001
Salary Total: $12,261
Total Pay: $147,831

Chester Sunde works as a Staff Psychologist -Clinical- for Veterans Affairs within Veterans Home of CA, Redding. Their status is full-time. Chester earned $147,831 in 2025. They are represented by R19.

Maria Luisa Encarnacion

Registered Nurse/Veterans Affairs

2025 total comp

$147,444

Sub-department: Chula Vista Veterans Home
Base pay: $136,244
Overtime: $9,889
Other pay: $1,311
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $147,444
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R17
Work county: San Diego

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $11,335
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5753238165007
Salary Total: $11,352
Total Pay: $147,444

Maria Luisa Encarnacion is a Registered Nurse at Veterans Affairs within Chula Vista Veterans Home. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $147,444. They are represented by R17.

Gwendolyn Roche

Nurse Instructor/Veterans Affairs

2025 total comp

$147,438

Sub-department: Veterans Home of CA, Fresno
Base pay: $138,166
Overtime: $9,272
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $147,438
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: R17
Work county: Fresno
Middle name: M

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $11,864
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5771508154002
Salary Total: $11,508
Total Pay: $147,438

At Veterans Affairs, Gwendolyn Roche serves as a Nurse Instructor within Veterans Home of CA, Fresno. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $147,438. Union affiliation: R17.

Henrieta Palermo

Supervising Registered Nurse/Veterans Affairs

2025 total comp

$147,359

Sub-department: Glavc
Base pay: $103,741
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $43,618
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $147,359
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S17
Work county: Los Angeles
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $13,463
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 5761488161008
Salary Total: $13,463
Total Pay: $147,359

Henrieta Palermo is a Supervising Registered Nurse at Veterans Affairs within Glavc. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $147,359. They are represented by S17.