California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) registered nurse salary, 2025

The California Department of Veterans Affairs is a state department: the State Controller's file lists its registered nurses at 6 facilities. Its figures are compared with the state as a whole, not one county. 241 people worked as registered nurses for California Department of Veterans Affairs in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $144,657, overtime included.

What is the average registered nurse salary at California Department of Veterans Affairs?

Official pay range1

$114,120 to $136,020

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest registered nurse title

Average total pay, full-year registered nurses1

$144,657

average base pay $123,087

Based on the 160 of 241 registered nurses who worked the full year.

Most of California Department of Veterans Affairs's registered nurses (241 of 241) hold the title Registered Nurse, Range T, with an official range of $114,120 to $136,020. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $144,657, $8,637 above the top of the range.

Median total pay
$137,550
the middle registered nurse: half earned more, half less
Overtime
$20,273
average per full-year registered nurse
Starting salary
$114,120
bottom of the Registered Nurse, Range T range
Average pay rank
33rd
of 72 California employers

What does each registered nurse title at California Department of Veterans Affairs pay?

Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1

  1. Registered Nurse, Range T$114,120 to $136,020 · 241 people
    $144,657

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Nurse practitioner and LVN pay at California Department of Veterans Affairs

Counted on their own, kept out of the registered nurse figures on this page. Each group's name leads to its statewide overview. Range: the middle reported bottom and top of each group's official ranges. Pay: average total pay of full-year staff, overtime included.1

NursesPeopleOfficial rangeAverage total pay
Registered nurses241$114,120 to $136,020$144,657
Nurse practitioners9$149,076 to $168,504$178,967
LVNs199$60,984 to $76,332$81,559

Full-year nurse practitioners averaged $178,967, $34,310 more than registered nurses.

Does California Department of Veterans Affairs pay registered nurses more than other California employers?

Average total pay of full-year registered nurses: California Department of Veterans Affairs next to every California employer together.1

Full-year registered nurses at California Department of Veterans Affairs earned $36,507 less than the California average.

Where does California Department of Veterans Affairs rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year registered nurses, by average total pay.1

All 72 California employers

California Department of Veterans Affairs ranks 33rd of 72, above the middle employer.

California Department of Veterans Affairs
$100k$150k$200k$250k

Middle employer: $138,446

Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.

Pension and health cover at California Department of Veterans Affairs

As reported by the department. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year registered nurse, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
Not reported
the most common formula among California Department of Veterans Affairs's registered nurses
Employer pension contribution
$36,229
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$18,405
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about registered nurse pay at California Department of Veterans Affairs

What is the average registered nurse salary at California Department of Veterans Affairs?

Registered nurses at California Department of Veterans Affairs who worked the full year earned an average of $144,657 in 2025, overtime included. The middle registered nurse earned $137,550: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its registered nurse titles runs from $114,120 to $136,020.

How much overtime do registered nurses at California Department of Veterans Affairs earn?

Full-year registered nurses were paid an average of $20,273 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $12,701: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What is the starting salary for a registered nurse at CalVet?

$114,120 a year: the bottom of the official range for California Department of Veterans Affairs's Registered Nurse, Range T title in 2025, as reported. Pay rises with steps and overtime; full-year registered nurses averaged $144,657 in total pay.

How much does a nurse practitioner make at CalVet?

Full-year nurse practitioners at California Department of Veterans Affairs averaged $178,967 in total pay in 2025, overtime included, on an official range of $149,076 to $168,504.

More registered nurse salaries

Sources for the California Department of Veterans Affairs figures

Every person who held a registered nurse position at California Department of Veterans Affairs at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with very high pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by California Department of Veterans Affairs.

How we read the data