Most of the nurses, doctors, and staff working with military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will not be able to take advantage of a deferred resignation offer from the Trump administration. This information was shared in an email from VA leadership to its employees recently.
Initially, nurses had been included in the resignation offer, but their unions advised against accepting it. They warned that a mass exit would harm the care provided to the 9.1 million veterans registered for services.
The email contained a letter from the VA’s human resources department, which detailed over 130 job titles that do not qualify for the deferred resignation program. According to Mary-Jean Burke, a physical therapist and leader in the American Federation of Government Employees, the list appears to cover a wide range of roles. “We are trying to figure out who is eligible,” she stated.
The occupations excluded from the program include not just nurses but also laundry workers, cooks, and medical professionals like pharmacists and physicians. The VA’s letter indicated that only full-time probationary employees and possibly some who are set to retire in 2025 might qualify. Irma Westmoreland, a nurse and head of the Veterans Affairs unit for National Nurses United, remarked, “The rules are changing day to day. What we do know is that the VA is already dealing with a serious shortage of nurses, and we would never abandon our veterans.”
A spokesperson for the VA mentioned that the agency collaborated closely with the White House and the Office of Personnel Management to determine the job roles that were ineligible for the resignation program. They emphasized that maintaining staff in these positions is vital for ensuring that veterans continue to receive essential health care, benefits, and memorial services.
Meanwhile, a federal judge has temporarily halted the deferred resignation program, a decision influenced by Trump adviser Elon Musk, and has required the administration to extend the deadline for the program until Monday.
Nurses at the VA represent the largest group of federal employees, exceeding 100,000 individuals, and making up about 5% of all full-time permanent workers in the federal government.
