VA New England Healthcare System
VA invites retired medical personnel to work
A VA registered nurse speaks with a Veteran at a VA call center. As the nation faces the current COVID-19 pandemic, VA patient care providers are the front line of defense providing the highest standard of care to our Veterans while protecting them against the spread of the Coronavirus at our medical centers, outpatient clinics, and community living centers. VA is seeking to re-hire retired VA medical professionals to match current requirements and locations.
The Office of Personnel Management approved a request from the Department of Veterans Affairs on March 19 to waive a section of federal law that governs retired VA workers.
The waiver makes it easier for the department to rehire retired VA health care workers and will help VA health care facilities bolster their medical staffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In VA New England, we are especially looking for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and respiratory therapists among others. To our retired VA health care colleagues: Our primary focus right now is on reducing workload across all sites to reallocate these resources to inpatient surge capacity, and, with your help, we can make this transition. Nationally, VA also continues to prepare to potentially support our larger community efforts.
To learn more, our retired colleagues can email vacareers@va.gov or apply at www.vacareers.va.gov. For more specific questions related to our VA New England Healthcare System and the clinical occupation re-hiring process, contact VISN 1 Human Resources at VHAV01NewEnglandHiring@va.gov.
“This action helps give the department surge capacity as needed,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “On behalf of all the Veterans we serve, I thank OPM for its quick action and invite our retired health care workers to consider coming back to VA during this crucial time.”
When rehired, retirees’ salaries are normally reduced to reflect the retirement annuity they are already receiving. However, this waiver eliminates that salary reduction, making the prospect of returning to VA employment more appealing.
Retired VA clinicians who are interested in coming back to VA can register here. To learn more, retired VA clinicians can also email vacareers@va.gov or visit http://www.vacareers.va.gov
OPM’s waiver authority expires after one year.
More COVID-19 information
For the latest VA updates on coronavirus and commonsense tips on preventing its spread, visit https://www.va.gov/coronavirus. For more information about coronavirus, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
