WASHINGTON – The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved a request from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 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.
VA plans to use the waiver authority to begin hiring actions as early as this week, and the department is inviting interested retired physicians, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, respiratory therapists and other medical professionals to register online.
“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.
OPM’s waiver authority expires after one year.
For more information on VA’s response to COVID-19, visit va.gov/coronavirus.
###
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
More from the Press Room
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in VA outpatient care has increased to 91.8% — up from 85.6% in 2018 (the first year since VA began conducting this survey).Veteran trust has increased during each of the past six years.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs will launch the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, May 31 — to help more than 40,000 Veterans experiencing severe financial hardship avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes.
News Releases
The Department of Veterans Affairs has enrolled 401,006 Veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days — 30% more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year. This is the most yearly enrollees in at least the past five years at VA, and nearly a 50% increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.