The Department of Veterans Affairs seeks exceptions to a hiring freeze for approximately 300,000 positions.
The Veterans Affairs (VA) Department has initiated a request for hiring exemptions for more than 304,000 roles across 35 occupational series, as a result of the federal hiring freeze instituted by the Trump administration on January 20.
VA Secretary-designate Doug Collins has expressed support for examining how the hiring freeze best applies to the department, and the department is working with the Office of Personnel Management to request exemptions for veterans benefits positions.
The VA's exemptions list mirrors the 2017 hiring freeze, where around 100 occupational series were designated for exemption, but specifics regarding the current list have not been disclosed. VA health care positions have been designated as exempt due to public safety needs.
Acting VA Secretary Todd Hunter stated that the department remains committed to hiring for roles that support the delivery of services to Veterans. The department is awaiting a full-year appropriations package from Congress to help cover a $6.6 billion budget shortfall for fiscal 2025.
The current hiring freeze guidance allows for the exemption of positions providing benefits, including the VA and programs like Social Security and Medicare. However, VA officials have not specified which benefits positions, if any, Collins plans to request exemptions for.
Several VA medical centers have taken cost-cutting measures and limited new hiring in fiscal 2024. The department is still working to request exemptions for veterans benefits positions. Any other exemptions must be approved by the chief of staff for Veterans Affairs.
Collins supports the VA's community care program, which pays for veterans to receive private care. The hiring increase was in part to address the expanded veteran benefit claims eligibility resulting from the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act.
Meanwhile, the Defense Department is exempting roughly 750,000 roles for national security needs. There are no relevant search results indicating which persons requested exemptions for certain roles at the Veterans Affairs Department during the hiring freeze under the new Trump administration.
The VA's commitment to hiring remains crucial, having hired 61,000 new employees in fiscal 2023. The department is working diligently to navigate the hiring freeze and ensure the continued delivery of services to America's veterans.
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