VA Asking Retired Federal Health Care Providers to Come Back to Work

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is directly contacting retired VA and Federal clinicians to join them in the ongoing effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

VA needs experienced patient-care providers during the crisis to help those already providing the best care to our Veterans at VA medical centers, outpatient clinics and community living centers.  

The department is reaching out to retired VA and Federal health care providers through social media, massive postcard mailings, email and word of mouth. VA staff are currently working the phones to ask if former colleagues are interested in coming back for a 120-day assignment, renewable up to one year.

“The nation’s health care system is dealing with an unprecedented crisis,” said Dr. Richard Stone, Executive In Charge, Veterans Health Administration. “Beyond VHA’s primary mission of providing care for our Veterans, we have a fourth mission, which is to be the safety net for our Nation’s health care system. We need everyone to join us in this fight, and recently retired health care professionals can come in and make an immediate impact.”

Stepping Up

After retiring in 2014, former VHA Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Nurse Executive Catherine Rick has answered the call and is awaiting her assignment from VA. “I could work virtually from home or I could travel. I’m healthy and I’m tech-savvy,” said Rick, who lives in the Phoenix area.

Rick said her high regard for VA staff and her experience in hurricane emergency response made her want to step up during the current health crisis. “In my 22 years of experience with VA, I can say I have the highest regard for everything VA does — and can do. There is an extremely talented staff across the VA system, and the work the emergency relief staff does made me think about what they’re going through. I knew their wheels must be spinning in overtime.”

VA is especially looking for nurses and other health care providers, including physicians, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and respiratory therapists, with interest and expertise in:

• Direct patient care/support (at a VA medical center and/or outpatient clinic)
• Tele/virtual care
• Travel Nurse Corps

On March 19, 2020. the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), approved a VA request to waive a section of Federal law to make it easier for the department to rehire retired VA health care providers. As re-employed annuitants, employees will receive their Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) annuities, as well as a paycheck as a Federal employee, without any offset to their retirement income. OPM instituted the waiver through March 31, 2021.

Expanding VA’s workforce helps the department better fulfill its mission of caring for our Nation’s heroes and supporting the Federal government in our public health mission during a pandemic.

Call to Action

VA needs you! If you would like to join your fellow health care providers in caring for our Veterans and support the national effort to combat the coronavirus, please do the following:

• Register online if you are a retired nurse or health care provider interested in joining VA as a re-employed annuitant. Or email your availability and resume to [email protected].  
• Visit vacareers.va.gov if you are a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or certified registered nurse anesthetist interested in joining the Travel Nurse Corps, providing telehealth, or being assigned to a VA Medical Center.
• Call retired nurses and other health care providers and share information about VA’s recruitment needs and efforts, including the:
  • Social media posts at our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
  • VAntage Point blog.
  • VA Careers home page.
  • VA news release recruiting retired annuitants.

You can also learn more about VA’s response to the coronavirus by visiting VA’s public health site.