$10M VA Nurses Premium Pay Class Action Lawsuit
By Steve Levine
Published: November 24, 2025
Status: Open to Claims
Claimed Amount: $10,000,000+ in Back Pay and Interest (Estimated)
Opt In Claim Deadline: December 22, 2025
Proof required: Yes
What is the Veterans Affairs Class Action About?
You may be part of a $10 million federal class action if you worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Registered Nurse, Physician Assistant, or Expanded Function Dental Assistant and noticed that your paycheck dropped every time you took leave.The class action lawsuit says the VA underpaid thousands of nurses and clinicians on night, weekend, holiday, and regularly scheduled overtime premium pay whenever they used certain types of paid leave or were excused from work on paid holidays, even though federal law says that paid leave should be provided without loss or reduction in pay.
The complaint focuses on premium pay that VA staff earned under title 38. This includes night differential for work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., weekend premium pay for Saturday hours between Friday at noon and Saturday at noon, and regularly scheduled overtime that is paid at time and a half. According to the plaintiffs, VA employees received these premiums when they were physically at work, but those same premiums disappeared on days when they used covered paid leave such as annual leave, sick leave, jury duty leave, military leave, funeral leave related to Armed Forces service, organ or bone marrow donor leave, Disabled Veteran leave, administrative leave, investigative or notice leave, and weather and safety leave. The suit also says the same thing happened when nurses and clinicians were excused from work and still paid for federal holidays.
The lawsuit claims that the VA relied on internal handbook rules, including an eight hour limitation on night pay during leave, instead of following federal statutes that promise leave without loss of pay. Because of this, the plaintiffs say VA nurses and clinicians missed out on millions of dollars in premium pay that should have been included in their paychecks during leave and holidays going back to at least August 23, 2012.
Who May Be Included in the Class?
The certified opt in class covers current and former VA Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, and Expanded Function Dental Assistants who worked at any VA facility on or after August 23, 2012. To fall within the core group described in the complaint, employees must have regularly worked night shifts between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., Saturday hours between Friday noon and Saturday noon, and or regularly scheduled overtime shifts that qualify for premium pay. The case focuses on people whose premium pay was cut off when they took covered paid leave or were excused from work on paid holidays, even though they normally received those premiums when working their regular tours of duty.Because this is an opt in class action, employees are not automatically included. Eligible VA staff must follow Court approved instructions to join the case. Notices have already been sent to many current and former employees. The official class action administrator now provides secure online opt in claim forms so that more people can participate even if their original postcard was lost or never received.
What Is the Total Settlement Amount?
This case has not reached a settlement and there is no settlement fund. The civil cover sheet and complaint reference ten million dollars in claimed damages, but that number is an estimate of the size of the dispute, not a confirmed fund. Because this is a back pay lawsuit that stretches across more than a decade, the true financial exposure for the government could be higher or lower depending on what the payroll and scheduling records show for thousands of employees nationwide.How Do I Qualify For a Payout?
There is no payout yet, but the basic criteria are already laid out in the court filings and on the administrator site. To be in the main group, you must have worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Registered Nurse, Physician Assistant, or Expanded Function Dental Assistant at some point on or after August 23, 2012. You must have regularly worked night shifts, Saturday hours, and or regularly scheduled overtime, and you must have missed out on the related premium pay when you were on paid leave or excused on paid holidays. Since this is an opt in case, you also need to join the class by submitting an Opt In Claim Form by the deadline.How Much Can I Get Paid?
Disclaimer: Any payment numbers are only estimates for general information. They are not guaranteed. Final amounts will be calculated using VA payroll records, Court rulings, and the official formula for this case.Your payout depends on how much premium pay should have been included in your check when you used covered paid leave or were excused on paid holidays. This includes night differential, Saturday premium pay, and regularly scheduled overtime premiums, plus interest under the Back Pay Act. There is no fixed amount per person.
Simplified formula from the case and claim website:
Total back pay is the combined value of night premium pay that should have been paid, Saturday premium pay that should have been paid, regularly scheduled overtime premium pay that should have been paid, and any missing holiday premium pay for qualifying hours, plus interest from the date each amount was originally owed.
In real terms, missing night pay is based on your hourly rate, the ten percent night differential, and the number of night hours on leave or holidays that lost premium pay. Missing Saturday pay is based on your hourly rate, the twenty five percent Saturday premium, and the affected Saturday hours. Missing overtime premiums are based on your overtime rate and the number of regularly scheduled overtime hours that fell during paid leave or holidays.
Because this case reaches back to August 23, 2012 and includes interest, payouts can vary widely. Some employees may receive a few hundred dollars. Others who regularly worked nights, Saturdays, and overtime for many years could receive several thousand dollars or more. The official administrator will determine each amount using VA records.
How Do I File an Opt In Claim?
You can now submit an Opt In Claim Form online through the official administrator website at VeteransAffairsClassAction.com. The site allows you to file securely on the web. If you received a postcard with a Claim ID and PIN, you can use that information to log in and complete your form. If you misplaced your postcard or never received one, the administrator provides contact information on the site so you can request help with your claim.To participate in this lawsuit, your Opt In Claim Form must be submitted online on the official website or mailed to the Class Action Administrator so that it is filed by December 22, 2025. If you mail a paper claim, make sure to follow the mailing address and instructions listed on the administrator site and allow enough time for delivery.
Claim Form Website: VeteransAffairsClassAction.com
Submit Opt In Claim
Is Proof Required to File an Opt In Claim?
The administrator site indicates that class members do not need to upload pay stubs or time sheets. Instead, the Class Action Administrator and the government will use VA payroll and scheduling data to determine whether you qualify and how much you may be owed. You must still truthfully complete your Opt In Claim Form and provide enough identifying information so that your records can be located. If your own documents conflict with what VA records show, it can be helpful to keep your paperwork in case questions come up later.How Many People Are Affected?
Court documents and public information indicate that the class could include many thousands of current and former VA nurses and clinicians across the country. The VA employs large numbers of Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, and Expanded Function Dental Assistants, and the class period runs from August 23, 2012 through the present. The fact that the Court has authorized renewed notice efforts and that a dedicated claims website is now live suggests that the administrator expects a significant volume of opt in claims.Important Dates and Case Progress
The class period begins on August 23, 2012. The case was filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims in 2018 as Ysla et al. v. United States. The Court later issued an opinion finding that the government is responsible for retroactive premium pay for certain types of leave and then certified the case as an opt in class action on behalf of VA Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, and Expanded Function Dental Assistants. In 2025, the Court approved further notice and an extended opt in period that now runs through December 22, 2025. The launch of the official administrator website at VeteransAffairsClassAction.com marks the current phase, in which class members can file online and the parties can begin to gather the data needed to calculate back pay.When Will Payments Be Made?
There is no scheduled payment date yet. This is a live class action lawsuit, not a finalized settlement with a distribution schedule. Payments, if and when they occur, will likely come only after the opt in process is complete, the Court resolves any remaining disputes about liability and damages, and either a judgment or a settlement structure is approved. In similar federal employment cases, that process can take time, especially when thousands of workers and many years of payroll data are involved.What Are My Options?
If you are or were a VA Registered Nurse, Physician Assistant, or Expanded Function Dental Assistant and believe you fall within the class definition, you have a few broad options. You can submit an Opt In Claim Form by the December 22, 2025 deadline and take part in the class action, which gives you a chance to share in any future recovery related to premium pay under this case. You can also choose to do nothing, which means you will not be included in the class and will not receive any money from this lawsuit, but you may keep the right to pursue your own claim separately if you and a lawyer decide that is appropriate under the statute of limitations. Because this is a complex federal pay case, some people may want to talk directly with a licensed attorney about their individual situation. OpenClassActions.com provides news and summaries for consumers and does not represent you in this or any other lawsuit.How Do I Find Class Action Settlements?
Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:Official Class Action Complaint
Sources
• Official class action administrator site: VeteransAffairsClassAction.com• Class action complaint in Ysla et al. v. United States, United States Court of Federal Claims, Case No. 1:18-cv-01292-VJW (PDF hosted by OpenClassActions.com)
• Public summaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs Labor Class Action on class action tracking sites
Filing and Joining Class Actions
Please submit only truthful information in any Opt In Claim Form or court related documents. False statements can be rejected and may carry penalties. If you are unsure whether you qualify to join this case, review the official notice and the administrator website or speak with a licensed attorney. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not a settlement administrator or a law firm. It does not process claims and does not represent you in this or any other lawsuit.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
RoundUp Cancer Lawsuits: How to Qualify
Status: Open to Claims
Submit Claim
$5.5M Mid America Pet Food Settlementt
Deadline: February 5, 2026
Submit Claim
$30M YouTube Privacy Settlement
Deadline: January 21, 2026
Submit Claim
$4M Frozen Waffles Class Action Settlement
Deadline: Dec 16, 2025
File Claim
$1.9M PetSafe e-Collar Settlement
Deadline: Dec 2, 2025
Payout: $30 - $420
| Class Action Summary | |
| Status | Class Action Lawsuit Open for Opt In Claims |
|---|---|
| Opt In Claim Deadline | December 22, 2025 |
| Settlement Amount | No settlement fund. Complaint estimates $10,000,000+ in back pay and interest. |
| Category | Employment and Labor, Government Pay |
| Estimated Payout per Person | Varies by work history. Some class members may be owed hundreds of dollars, others thousands or more, plus interest. |
| Case Number | 1:18-cv-01292-VJW |
| Case Title | Ysla et al. v. United States |
| Court | United States Court of Federal Claims |
| Final Approval Hearing | N/A (No Settlement on File) |
| Claim Website | Claim Form Website |