VA lists more than 130 jobs ineligible for Trump buyout plan

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Yahoo News!/The Hill

02/08/25 9:57 PM ET


The majority of nurses, doctors, and other personnel providing care to military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs do not qualify for the deferred resignation offer from the Trump administration, according to an email from the Veteran Affairs (VA) leadership sent on Friday.

Nurses were part of the group that initially received the offer, but their unions advised against accepting it. They were warned that a mass departure would significantly impact the care provided to the 9.1 million veterans enrolled.

The Associated Press reported that it has reviewed the email, which contained a letter from the VA’s human resources department, along with a spreadsheet listing over 130 job titles identified as “VA EXEMPTION REQUESTS.” “It seems like it’s almost everyone,” said Mary-Jean Burke, a physical therapist and leader of the American Federation of Government Employees. “We are working to determine who qualifies.”

The occupations the VA considered ineligible for the offer include laundry workers, cooks, nurses, pharmacists and even physicians. Full-time probationary employees and possibly some employees who were going to retire in 2025 are considered eligible, per the letter. On Thursday, a federal judge extended the deadline for federal workers to accept the Trump administration’s sweeping buyout offer.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/va-lists-more-130-jobs-025706762.html

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The whole thing needs to be completely HALTED until Congress acts to authorize it. If not, then they need to direct that the concept of "3 CO-EQUAL Branches" of government no longer exists. Why waste time teaching generations of Americans if you "really don't mean it".

[Puppyjive]

1. They did the same thing to social security

They have sent out numerous emails trying to correct their fuck up. The problem is they didn't exempt everyone. The SSA is at a 50 year low with the number of employees. They can't afford to lose one employee. It takes years to learn the job. It is a very thankless jobs and it is hard. Turnover is super high. The return to the office will be the nail in the coffin.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. "The return to the office will be the nail in the coffin."

SSA and AFGE finalized their contract in December 2024 to lock in telework as part of a 5-year contract. Break that and you are talking "breach of contract".

SSA, AFGE reach deal to lock in current telework levels until 2029

Really - the only ones who need to be "in an office" are the CSRs who work out of the local SSA offices and see customers "face to face" (and there are definitely customers, many who are obviously elderly and who need that type of "in person" interaction).

[Historic NY]

3. The VA brings in nurses from the Philippines and elsewhere to work

because they are short staffed.

https://news.va.gov/103427/tampa-va-nurse-considers-filipino-culture-va-employment-a-win-win/]

My niece is a nurse manager and they are consistently short staffed.

[Wiz Imp]

4. The whole buyout offer is bogus IMO, but some of those ineligible jobs make no sense.

I can understand not including Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists as they would be hard to replace. But Laundry workers and cooks? Why?

[HappyLarge]

5. Because a hospital goes through immense amounts of linens.

Which need to be laundered in specific ways due to infection control. Diets are medically ordered and the staff that prepare them need to be trained in medical diet protocols. That’s why.