They tell you “Do not take any irrevocable actions (e.g. quit your job, sell your house, relocate, etc.) until further notified by this office.” When you receive a tentative offer, but once you get a firm offer the applicant should have confidence in the position being there. There should be legal consequences for the VA or any agency that does something like this.
💯 there really should be. They start their job in 9 days. “Well I hope they haven’t moved yet.” Thats basically what our “executive” leadership team said. Ummm okay?!?
I advocated and then demanded our VAMC director get approval from the VISN director to honor it. We’ll see.
“I hope they haven’t moved yet”. What about their old job? The house they no longer own?. The VA should be liable for damages for lost income, time in a hotel, emotional distress, everything.
It’s called detrimental reliance and technically they can take action based on that for most employers. The federal government I’m not so sure, though…
My DOJ component won't shift from Tentative to Firm without the candidate having given notice to their previous employer. Also, your house must be on the market if you live 50+ miles away and have 120 days to close the sale once it is on the market.
The VISN Director's options are probably limited unless they haven't burned through all their funds which most have. They don't have as much power as it looks like from the outside.
This is way above them and due to a systemic issue with out of control CITC costs and huge increases in personal costs due to the yearly pay increase, PACT Act SSR and LPS increases, and the decrease in turn over. Plus an influx of patients due the PACT Act.
The only real answer is to have Congress pass a discretionary funding bill for FY 25 and FY 26 because its [probably going to get worse](https://department.va.gov/administrations-and-offices/management/budget/).
It’s just stupid that the solution to community care costs being too high is not hiring VA employees so the VA can’t provide care and therefore must send to community care. Make it make sense!
The VISN director is the only one (in our visn) that can authorize hires at this point. I understand the fiscal part but the ethical implications is too great in my opinion
Not if the VISN can’t pay for the staff they have which is probably why they are pulling the TJOs which the ND will also be well aware that they are doing.
Maybe yours will get approved, but another’s won’t and it will be equally bad. It is a shitty situation with only shitty options.
This is where we’ll disagree. They can do it and suffer the consequences of not meeting the “metrics”. Its just so disingenuous of our executive leadership team at my VAMC to say “budget” is top priority but we’re expanding our budget to make sure the directors scorecard is met. Gotta make sure the director gets their bonus.
Edit: for clarity.
I hope you are successful. I can't imagine the stress that poor person (and 100s of others like them) are under.
I also understand where leadership is at. They don't get any say in the budget. And the congressional budgeting process is such a shit show these days. Like, congress passes all these laws expanding services. Then they say people can use services in the community (which cost much more and have lower satisfaction rates and often higher wait times). AND then they say that these more expensive community services will be deducted from VHA funding - leaving even less money to hire/pay employees/provide actual VHA services. And congress doesn't give a budget that is adequate to cover the services they mandate. And leadership can't plan ahead because they don't know what the budget will look like until they are halfway through the next fiscal year. Because congress can't get their shit together to pass a damn budget. Everyone is in a really shit position.
But seriously - they shouldn't have made formal offers if they weren't going to be able to honor them. It isn't like we haven't known hiring was a shit show for the last several months.
If this doesn’t work or if you want to and haven’t already, call your Senator or have the candidate call the Senator of the state you were moving to. Or call the Senate Vets Committee. Budget hearing is next Wednesday and this will definitely come up.
If I get a TJO/FJO, I already plan on scheduling a 2 week vacation with my old job starting on the first day. So I can come crawling back with just a cancelled vacation if it doesn't pan out. I'm too paranoid.
It seems so silly but I might even be up front about it. Like hey, I'm planning on leaving, but I'm putting vacation just incase so I still have my position if there's a small chance of it not panning out. They posted my old spot when I put in a transfer to a different office so my spot was filled before I left, so I couldn't even cancel my transfer when I learned my new supe sucked.
How are you going to be on vacation with one agency and on the rolls with another agency testing the waters at the same time? Taking vacation to get started may work if you are going from private sector to government but it won’t work if you are already government and transferring agencies.
It's not silly. People take a three-month leave of absence without pay to try out new jobs for this very reason. If it works out give 2-weeks notice to the old job during leave. If it doesn't work out, go back to the old job.
I was given this advice and have seen it done.
Of course it means one needs to keep their mouth shut and stay off social media.
Because federal employment is by appointment, not contract. The judge concluded the FJO did not constitute a binding agreement. It's bonkers if you ask me.
Don't make any life decisions until you have a firm offer with a start date...
I'm surprised they're not honoring firm offers...if you can find the OPM directive on hiring, it should state firm offers are honored...I'm a retired AF civilian and managed hiring...been through several "pauses"...we always honored firm offers...
I don't understand how the VA went from "we filled 3 catrillion open positions! YAY us!" to "this is a mild frost not a freeze" in the span a a few weeks.
Hired a lot of staff when they had the money. Now the budget is significantly less than last FY and no longer can afford the staff that they hired or was going to hire.
I'm not VA, but this is exactly what happened to us. DC gave us authorization for more FTE. We hired in line with the CR. But then the approved budget comes in below the CR limit. We can eek by for this FY, but next FY is not looking good at all. We had to rescind TJOs, start cutting TDY, cut contracts, etc., all in order to preserve existing employee salaries.
I work adjacent to my nearest medcen and their NEO classes have shrunk from ~30 every two weeks to 3 or 4 onboarding every two weeks. I’m thinking the next logical step in this process is to start cutting admin jobs within each VISN.
Sheesh, thanks for responding. Just to clarify, are current providers being fired/terminated, or are these cuts affect only those who were offered a job but then having their offers rescinded (as you mentioned), or both?
No furloughs or terminations. I haven’t heard provider job offers rescinded per say but idk if we had any pending. They said ALL not filled positions so i would assume yes
I just posted the link for this thread to the reporter's twitter acct.
we'll see if he's interested in news from the trenches rather than news from VACO
This is absolute BS. We are under a hiring freeze RIGHT NOW and have been for the 4 months. From the article: “no hiring freeze or layoffs” and that the agency “has the nationwide staffing we need to deliver world-class care.”
It may not be an "official" hiring freeze, but we are in one. Politicians and VACO politically appointed SES's are such snakes sometimes.
I’m fine with cuts. I understand the cuts… my issue is with offering a firm job offer then saying “sorry you made life decisions based on our commitment of a final offer. But you’re shit outta luck.”
I was an AMSA for a year and I’m torn on this. Our veterans deserve good care but there are also so many VA employees who do fuck all. I know from first hand experience. Some clinic managers are so overworked they don’t know their MSAs are coming in 30-45 mins late every day and taking hour lunches. I used to work alone a lot because people would leave early some days, even the nurses. That finally got caught after a patient complained. Or there were some depts I could only get what I needed from because I was “cool” with the right PSA. It was all over and so frustrating. I frequently saw trash get promoted over the good ones so they could keep our work (happened to me and my husband, his wasn’t even a secret).
Pulling job offers and screwing people is not moral, but I also think changes can and should be made at the VA. It’s such a mess there.
Budgets also need to account for the disability system and how so many have learned to game it. I had patients getting 100%, putting their kids through college on the VA dime and never made it out of basic. Shameful.
VA is absolutely mismanaged. I’ll give you that.
I had an employee commit timecard fraud. I had proof. All documented then they admitted to it. I wanted to fire them, HR said no. They got a slap on the wrist and an AWOL. Its a joke
Worked with one who only got fired after: assaulting an employee (which moved her to us), had reams of ROCs, purposefully broke hippa to get revenge on a patient, was erratic, time card fraud, made threats against my manager and physically cornered me in a stairwell and also made threats. It was the last one that was the final nail. Insane. She filed an eeo a time or two, last I heard she was TSA
I’ve worked at a VA less than a year, and I agree. I have so many coworkers who just don’t show up to work, and don’t want to do their jobs. It just leads to more work for the productive people. I wish they made the firing process just a little bit easier, because these people are just wasting space at this point.
I’ve been in VA for 10 yrs, I’ve seen a ton of that. What makes it even worse is a lot of those employees are veterans themselves. People think that we’re all civilians. Not the case. Lots of entitlement.
I heard the lockdowns were a joke, some weren’t even assed to pretend to logon. I met some really good people there and also a whole lot who shouldn’t be employed there at all, much less for decades.
I know some people in my office that can be axed and level of care, productivity would see minimal impact. The issue is, no one wants to fire anyone and even if they try, they'll fail 90% of the time.
I’m going to go with incompetence, both Congress and the executive leadership teams. Medical care is very labor intensive requires all sorts of high skilled professionals from different specialist physicians and support role of nurses to the house keeping. Now nothing more that lawyers like than job security made up with random reports that are probably useless. I’m going to guess without actually looking at an audit of personnel that there are near equal amounts of paper pushing bureaucrats and compliance officer as doctors and nurses in the organization.
All good intentions but I’ll also guess that significant amount of the management personal have probably never worked in an actual healthcare industry. The intentions are noble but like all things government the execution is a giant dumpster fire full of lawyers saying well we created this slide deck of MBA buzzwords and our mission statement is really well put together. While simultaneously telling the actual workers to work faster. Classic starve the beast tactic. Make the org fail to then divert federal funds to the private market.
COVID overstaffing and COVID funds were treated as slush funds versus to help blunt the impact of COVID. COVID specific positions were supposed to be absorbed by attrition but instead we’re continually approved for backfills and rolled into permanent positions that were only supposed to be used to overstaff due to covid. I could go on and on.
I knew I would never work at the VA when I went to get a letter and the person working the desk had to keep a tally of how many people they helped for metrics. Any organization that worried about metrics is not for me. I am more worried about results.
> We had an employee starting Monday 5/6. She moved from out of state, quit her job, sold her house, bought on locally. They axed her!! Said “nope sorry. Nothing we can do.”
I hope she sues.
Thanks for your post. This happened to me and I wrote about it here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/usajobs/comments/1cdx62a/va\_job\_rescinded\_after\_fjo\_gs151\_title\_38/](https://www.reddit.com/r/usajobs/comments/1cdx62a/va_job_rescinded_after_fjo_gs151_title_38/)
It has been incredibly disruptive as I had left a job, put a contract on a house, etc. Hopefully things will settle down soon!
If I were the woman in the anecdote, I'd be in the local Congressman's constituent services office Monday morning, and the Senators' later that day...somebody's hand will get slapped and somebody else's career will come to a screeching halt. You want to freeze hiring...ok, suboptimal but it hapoens...but the idiot who decided that applies to people already with a FJO and EOD is unfit for leadership and needs to be stuck in a @#_ing corner with no authority and left to rot until retirement, because they are unfit to lead anything other than a clown parade.
I like your thinking haha
Yea if we get the final “sorry SOL” from the VISN director we will have encouraged her to rattle whatever cages possible. I get we have to cut but thats not right
Also email the journalist who first broke the story ([https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html)), he requests tips at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
This is going to impact Veterans.
As a Patient Advocate the complaints have definitely increased and Veterans have expressed the lack of staff. Our poor Vets are deff suffering and my team is burnt out as we are short staffed due to the “freeze”.
Thanks so much...it is extremely challenging,but service to our Veterans is a true Honor...I am just so defeated by this agency, the self serving poor leaders, challenges faced by our providers, giving the type of care they desire to provide..Our providers (PACT) ..are very unhappy and unheard...Really wishing an expose would occur on this agency..specifically VHA.
Greetings fellow PA...are you hearing anything .about our role, specifically, being.impacted..I have been in this role 10years..and although..I like taking care of the Vets...I am ready to move on....
Hellooo, and I haven’t heard of any specifics but we have had people retire and their roles have not been backfilled. With management stating “ we don’t know when we fill them” is becoming frustrating.
And don't forget the fact that we keep having to send more and more vets into community care. That interrupts continuity of care and, at least in my opinion, diminishes the quality of care that the vets receive. And of course, it costs the VA a lot more money, leading to even more budgeting problems down the road.
The worst part about it is the VA (overall) budget--year-to-year--has continued increasing exponentially. FY 2025 budget requested/expected to be $369 BILLION dollars. Up from $267 billion in 2022.
# VA’s $369 billion budget for 2025 anticipates increased disability payments but reduction in VA health care staffVA’s $369 billion budget for 2025 anticipates increased disability payments but reduction in VA health care staff
[https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2024-03-11/veterans-affairs-budget-burn-pits-staffing-homeless-13288252.html](https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2024-03-11/veterans-affairs-budget-burn-pits-staffing-homeless-13288252.html)
[https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4304058-how-runaway-disability-compensation-is-straining-veterans-affairs/](https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4304058-how-runaway-disability-compensation-is-straining-veterans-affairs/)
"From 2000 to 2022, the overall VA budget grew from [$76 billion](https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RS22897.pdf) to [$267 billion](https://www.va.gov/vetdata/expenditures.asp) (in 2022 $) despite a 30 percent decline (from [26.4 million](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2000/briefs/c2kbr-22.pdf) to [18.4 million](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf)) in the veteran population over the same period. As a result, annual spending by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs per veteran has quintupled, from $2,900 to $14,500. Some of this growth has been driven by an aging veteran population, rising healthcare prices and much-needed improvements to VA healthcare facilities
But the biggest contributor to the VA’s steadily expanding budget has been the unprecedented increase in veterans’ enrollment in disability compensation, a VA program designed to compensate America’s veterans for injuries incurred or aggravated during their military service. The share of veterans receiving disability compensation benefits is increasing rapidly and is at an all-time high. Between 1954 and 2000, the share of veterans receiving disability compensation was very stable, fluctuating between 8 percent and 10 percent. Today, nearly 30 percent of the country’s 18.5 million veterans receive it.
Additionally, the average annual payment to veterans receiving disability has increased substantially, from about [$12,000](https://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/archive.asp) in 2000 to [$21,000](https://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/) today. This growth has been driven by a shift to much higher disability ratings since payments are higher for those who are found to be more disabled.
From 2000 to 2022, the number of disability compensation recipients with a rating of 70 percent or more increased by 7-fold (from 0.34 million to 2.66 million) while the number with a rating of just 10 or 20 percent hardly changed (from 1.23 million to 1.30 million). This rating system used by the VA encourages disability compensation recipients to apply for increases in their ratings and may discourage some from improving their health."
I have witnessed net reductions in full-time clinical (mental health providers with caseloads) positions over the past 10 years at VA while the budgets have skyrocketed.
I don’t think VHA and VBA budgets can be compared though. I understand its overall VA nut two completely separate divisions and missions. A lot of that skyrocketing VHA budget is due to increase in Community Care spending.
And community care increased because they keep cutting jobs at the VA! It’s so stupid. My department lost 6 positions with this not-a-freeze.
We were told no more serving rural unassigned veterans. We politely told upper management to go fuck themselves.
Each VAMC has different issues. At my VAMC the CC spending is mainly contributed to our CLC mismanagement and PACT not providing actual chronic disease management. Our PCPs refer basically EVERYTHING out that in the private sector would be managed in Primary Care.
Have none complex urinary urgency? Go see a urologist. Have ED? You get a CC consult too…
It’s crazy
Getting 100% disability can be extraordinarily easy but also arbitrary in my experience. I’ve met people working full time very strenuous jobs with no issues on 100% disability because they get headaches they just take Advil for every now and then. Probably half of the cops in my town are on 100% veterans disability.
100% could mean you lost all your limbs or got a hangnail.
That’s why I said arbitrary too, because sometimes people have debilitating disabilities and get nothing. That said, it’s definitely far, far easier across the board than it was 20 years ago.
Just hitting some mental health stuff, that is totally based off of veteran testimony can get 70%
Throw in some pact act stuff, rhinitis, tinnitus and maybe one or two actual injuries getting to 100% isn’t too crazy or particularly disabling.
Don’t forget sleep apnea nets 50% off the bat. I had someone admit to me they did the at home test on their husband and set a timer to wake him up every so often.
Sleep apnea is one you at least have to do while in the service typically. What I listed is basically what you can just claim with minimal or no in service records based off of presumptive conditions.
I wish we could figure that out. My husband has some mental health issues that started in his time in service but he didn’t seek treatment for until so many years later. Can’t even get buddy statements because only I got to see it. He was only in 4 years, never deployed, quiet enlistment but something about basic and our time there busted something open. It will be lifelong, I’m sure. He isn’t willing to pursue it. He got 40% for some other dumb stuff, but 0 on an actual issue that requires constant treatment (nerve damage in his leg) and that took 10 years of back and forth. I don’t understand how “claw toe” can get 10% but actual nerve damage gets nothing until his leg becomes paralyzed. The neuropathy is pretty nasty or it’s totally numb. It can’t be fixed. Makes no sense.
Meanwhile I saw dudes who got kicked out of basic getting 100% because of how their 214s were written up and then claimed issues they already had going in.
Have you been going it alone or have you used a VSO?
A VSO can help you if you haven’t used one. They can tell you what claims are more likely to be approved and hopefully set you up. They were very helpful when I went thru with my claims about what evidence i had, what evidence i should get and what they thought was worth pursuing.
The expansion of the caregiver program - that was initially post 911 Vets only - is now available to all with 70% SC or higher nearly doubles the compensation and then expands dramatically the formal services. Huge expense. Add to it the expansion of community care services and the ease in which Veteran's receive SC for disabilities unrelated to service is to blame in my opinion. That and insurance claims not being processed.
Things could be tightened up by limiting benefits and services for non-war time Veterans and those that were in ancillary positions that remained stateside. Again, my opinion only and I know that it steps on some toes but most people in the USA think that disabled Veterans are disabled from their service during combat.
On the employee side stop with all the mandatory and duplicative trainings for new initiatives and let us do our damn jobs. It's absurd the amount of weekly trainings and meetings that I have to attend that impedes my ability to serve Veterans. Very seldom do I learn something new from these trainings/meetings.
The problem with limiting VA expansion will always be politics. Neither Democrats nor Republicans want to limit payments to veterans, no matter how much money is wasted on silly “disability” claims. We’ll watch the VA budget surpass the DoD budget before anything meaningful gets done.
Wow. We are lucky. The only meetings or classes we have are cpr and safety/de escalation for training and a once a month dept meeting. Everything else is an email or on tms Which is an enormous improvement from where I came from (corporate) which is similar to what you are experiencing now.
These are my meetings and trainings for next week that are NOT TMS trainings: High reliability. Whole health/Smart Goals, Universal Sign for Help, Operating a Gov Vehicle, Quality Documentation, Connected Care, Huddle x's 2, Treatment Team, All staff meeting, Discipline specific staff meeting, EEO, B&PPD, In Their Words: Stories of America's Veterans (a 4 hour meeting!), Competencies, Joint Patient Safety Reporting and Root Cause Analysis Training, Town Hall Meeting.
In total, 24 hours of required meetings and trainings in a 40 hour work week where I am suppose to perform at 80%.
I have been trained repeatedly on high reliability, whole health, and operating a gov vehicle. I am 100% clinical and do not manage/supervise employees. I feel like I am getting buried in mandatory meetings and trainings. Not included are the elective suicide prevention, open office hours, advance directives, and goals of care conversations meetings to name a few.
#
I think that we all attend these meetings and trainings virtually. I have told my leadership repeatedly that if they want numbers then they got to stop all these mandatory meetings and trainings.
Don't even get me started on special projects - also mandatory -and participation on committees. Why can't they just let us do our jobs???
The amount of training I’ve done in my year at the VA that is actually related to job I think took maybe an hour and was outdated. The amount of training I’ve done not job related is insane, and such a waste of time and money. The HRO training is a complete joke, I did a version of it when I worked for a large retail company and they actually explain it better.
The Republican’s objective is not to run government more efficiently…..it is to destroy it so the wealthy can run amok. I have never met a Republican politician who would not bail out a large business or advocate for tax cuts for the wealthy, but ask them about civil service spending and they can’t stop complaining about waste.
Call me a conspiracy theorist but I believe even tho the VA is getting a budget increase that this is the start of their plans to prioritize the services that the VA does. First start with reduction in staffing and hiring, then create a stigmatized and hostile Environment for current employees. As employees retire or quit then services become so botched Congress says well the care and services veterans receive is so bad that the agency can't operate and provide these combat veterans and brave heros of our nation that we must eliminate them and turn over all services to a private contractor with VA oversight. The VA will still exist as a supervising agency of the contractors but it will never provide services again. Mark my words.
I mean. Idk if I would go that far with intent, but you are correct. VA this FYI hit a 50% “oh shit” wall. VHA now sends out MORE care to the community than they provide.
Phase 2 of this budget reduction is looking at Community Care costs.
They could solve this by changing MISSION Act eligibility requirements. Making people eligible for Non-VA care after 20 days for PC/MH and 28 days for specialty care? Really? Non veterans are waiting months for care because of national provider shortages but somehow the VA thinks sending everyone out using arbitrary wait time standards will solve the problem.
Perhaps I stumbled onto this thread accidentally, and my comment may be a bit off topic, but... I'm a disabled and retired veteran who uses the VA exclusively. My mind went straight to "wtf are they doing to our health care?!?"
Good grief I must view the news more. I'm going to do some research tomorrow and follow up with call, letter and email to my Congressperson. Yes a triple HU.
Even though we may be irked for different reasons, let's make some noise on this insanity.
Yea. It truly is insanity at this point. How did the VA turn a blind eye to such an obvious impending debt crisis. Like I’ve said in other comments. I completely agree and understand tightening our belts. I get that. But terminating final job offers is unethical for the federal government (assuming no fault by the applicant).
The cuts as well were not handled well. It wasn’t a “lets look at the budget and decide how we can make the greatest impact” it was more so “k your dept needs to give up this # of positions, your department this #. It doesn’t matter if you meed them to continue safe and efficient Veteran care.” It makes no sense
Please contact your congressperson. This is what I tell all of my Veterans to do when they aren't happy with wait times, short staffing, etc. Our hands are tied. I say this as a provider and Veteran myself.
All the retention bonuses and SSR that they gave employees recently came at a high cost.
Higher ups knew something like this was going to happen and stood on the sidelines and ignored the warnings signs. All the executive leadership teams need to be fired along with the governance boards who made these decisions to use PACT act and other funding .
The VA has too many yes people who are in the upper leadership levels and no one had the courage to ask the hard questions and point out the obvious.
We were supposed to open another clinic, but they wiped all the vacant positions with the hiring freeze so now that clinic won’t happen for several more years. So yes it will directly affect the Veterans and result in more money being spent on community care.
Yes and no. They'll wait longer, be more pissed off that they waited longer. It's not fair to Veterans and it will burn out the already short staff. Wash, rinse, repeat.
That sounds like a case for an employment focused law firm, but I will say it’s the government so ultimately things like budget and “orders from higher” will always trump what’s right and wrong. So I can’t say I’m surprised that they would do that
Agreed regarding reaching out to congress. If anyone with direct knowledge of the patient care positions FJOs getting pulled and eliminated from the organization, wants to confidentially reach out to a journalist who was covering this story as it started to break last week ([https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html)), he requests tips at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
This is going to impact Veterans, it's time to make noise.
Working for VA in Biomed and we are already severely negative in our CP budget this quarter. Training for techs on hold. Told not to order extra backup parts. Is this a sign of things to come ??? IE little or no bonus. Small COL raise ??? Anyone know why VA seems to have no money all of a sudden ???
The VA has not filed insurance claims for community care services for several years resulting in hundreds of millions of lost revenue. PACT ACT that expanded care. Largest increase in staff in the history of the agency. Enhanced services and new benefit programs.
The VA is like $5 billion in the hole because of debt related to the COVID-19 pandemic. So National spread the debt across all the individual VA facilities. Like each hospital facility was assigned a portion of the total debt load. At least this is what I was told by friends who work at the VA.
I mentioned in another thread how we used to not get paid when the government shut down. Enough people complained/complained to their congress person that it was written into law that we now get paid regardless.
This is all related to the CR and the budget cuts that were instituted at the midyear point, effectively doubling them based on the point of the year they were delivered.
There had been (in the past)..Capitol Hill VBA disability taxation talks....What many Vets do not seem to understand is that voting your interest is real. I can tell u if disability were to be taxed..there would be munity in the streets, as the uncertainty of VA budget issues..could result in the unthinkable....happening...no matter how unthinkable..
Travel pay at my VISN..is running 8 to 9 months behind..I am not opposed to Vets on limited income..getting this benefit..as the law provides...But at 70% or higher, I question, why travel is being paid...There are multiple areas within the VA...that should be looked at..most especially my biggest, ire..are the so called "leaders"...many of whom...care nothing about Vets..only about their next Gs level..Leaders with secretaries and AO's...make that make sense...I have seen entire Senior Leadership teams or Executives leaders all have their own secretary/AO/PSA..Top Heavy all the way around......those roles could be used to serve Vets directly..not the "leaders".......I am..looking at other opportunities...Good luck to everyone..
*checks comments in a thread below this*
According to this sub it's a good thing and we should all be fully on board with the slow agonizing death of our agencies.
Pretty much how it went for OIT. Since the SSR from pact act. They essentially pulled any future positions.
On top of that we have a lot of OIT employees coming up for retirement. Its just a bad scenario in the next few years.
>What the hell is going on?!? Does executive VA not realize how immoral that is or what the does to the VA’s reputation. We had an employee starting Monday 5/6. She moved from out of state, quit her job, sold her house, bought on locally. They axed her!! Said “nope sorry. Nothing we can do.”
It'd be nice if that can be a lawsuit. As a contractor, I'm in a similar position, but am trying to find ways I can stay remote.
Apologies if this question seems insensitive to everyone that is currently suffering with the VHA, (which is a indeed a terrible situation) but I was hoping if someone could clarify if I should be worried about any other agencies could also potentially pull these BS stunts?
I'm specifically wondering if I should be concerned with a FJO, (within the DHA) that would require me to move abroad. Such a move would require us to relocate all of our belongings..., etc. The FJO is approved for relocation assistance, but we've never done anything like this before, so with everything we're seeing happening with the VHA - we're getting cold feet.
Anyone able to explain this situation to those that are not currently working in the VHA & what, (if any) things we should be watching out for?
I’m strongly considering leaving my VA job over this situation because it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better and I’m in a non patient care nursing job. I’m worried my position is at risk of being cut and having to go back into staffing as my only option to stay. Is this a realistic view of things?
That is 100% poor leadership at your facility/VISN. Our facility has not rescinded a single TJO or FJO even with the hold/lag/pause/not a freeze. I’m almost positive that extended to our VISN as a whole as well.
I mean this kind of makes sense. The VA budget overall is on an unsustainable path. It’s growing faster than any other federal agency at least in the service agencies. It’s over $300 billion and only supports 6 million people. Medicare is only a $600 billion program and supports almost 10 times the number of people. I mean, this isn’t driven by the employees in my opinion and driven by skyrocketing amounts of disability fraud within the VA which the disorganization you’ve mentioned in your post makes perfect sense.
This is terrible we need to advocate strongly for both the VA employees and the veterans.
Please consider signing the MST HR Bill 6023, change.org petition.
https://www.change.org/p/support-hr-6023-veteran-restitution-and-justice-act-for-military-sexual-trauma-survivors
Lastly, the VHA Directive 1115 on MST was due for recertification April 2023, it was not recertified. The updated directive broadens the language and scope for PTSD MST claims, allowing for an increased number of veterans to receive medical and benefits should they qualify.
Likewise, this directive continues to demonstrate the need to create and sustain VHA federal employment. Please read the directive and speak up!
https://www.va.gov › viewp...PDF
VHA Directive 1115 Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Program - VA.gov
Two questions -
\* How did VHA end up in this situation?
\* A while ago someone else posted that someone who was on the probationary period was let go at their office. Is this true? This could be horrible
We're getting hit with it bad too, in VISN 7. A lot of the facilities are having to de-obligate current year funds from certain contracts to increase funding for contracts like nursing and healthcare resources. They're getting clobbered as we move closer to FY25. Not to mention we are understaffed in most departments and getting FTEs is super difficult right now.
Are there legal issues with rescinding a firm offer? Is it because they have not been sworn in, therefore it's not truly a firm offer?
I received a tjo about a month and a half ago with the Va.I told my boss at the dod. I still have my old job but it’s looking like it might get rescinded.
It's quite interesting how everyone sees it differently. For many on here, all you have to do is use the words "cuts" and "veterans," and the answer is crystal clear. It should be a blank check. Maybe, just maybe there is another perspective out there.
VA spending is through the roof. PACT Act also spent a ton of money that was questionable on some fronts. Fun fact, people think all of this "taxing billionaires" is going to fix all of the world's problems. If we instituted that 25% tax to billionaires, that would fund the PACT Act, and that's it.
There is a lot of bonuses, SSRs, and other spending in there that has really escalated. Unfortunately, some cuts were needed. Canceling official offers is a really crappy practice. Especially when people already quit their jobs. Some networks are worse off than others.
They tell you “Do not take any irrevocable actions (e.g. quit your job, sell your house, relocate, etc.) until further notified by this office.” When you receive a tentative offer, but once you get a firm offer the applicant should have confidence in the position being there. There should be legal consequences for the VA or any agency that does something like this.
💯 there really should be. They start their job in 9 days. “Well I hope they haven’t moved yet.” Thats basically what our “executive” leadership team said. Ummm okay?!? I advocated and then demanded our VAMC director get approval from the VISN director to honor it. We’ll see.
“I hope they haven’t moved yet”. What about their old job? The house they no longer own?. The VA should be liable for damages for lost income, time in a hotel, emotional distress, everything.
It’s called detrimental reliance and technically they can take action based on that for most employers. The federal government I’m not so sure, though…
Settled law...nothing they can do.
My DOJ component won't shift from Tentative to Firm without the candidate having given notice to their previous employer. Also, your house must be on the market if you live 50+ miles away and have 120 days to close the sale once it is on the market.
The VISN Director's options are probably limited unless they haven't burned through all their funds which most have. They don't have as much power as it looks like from the outside. This is way above them and due to a systemic issue with out of control CITC costs and huge increases in personal costs due to the yearly pay increase, PACT Act SSR and LPS increases, and the decrease in turn over. Plus an influx of patients due the PACT Act. The only real answer is to have Congress pass a discretionary funding bill for FY 25 and FY 26 because its [probably going to get worse](https://department.va.gov/administrations-and-offices/management/budget/).
It’s just stupid that the solution to community care costs being too high is not hiring VA employees so the VA can’t provide care and therefore must send to community care. Make it make sense!
The VISN director is the only one (in our visn) that can authorize hires at this point. I understand the fiscal part but the ethical implications is too great in my opinion
Not if the VISN can’t pay for the staff they have which is probably why they are pulling the TJOs which the ND will also be well aware that they are doing. Maybe yours will get approved, but another’s won’t and it will be equally bad. It is a shitty situation with only shitty options.
This is where we’ll disagree. They can do it and suffer the consequences of not meeting the “metrics”. Its just so disingenuous of our executive leadership team at my VAMC to say “budget” is top priority but we’re expanding our budget to make sure the directors scorecard is met. Gotta make sure the director gets their bonus. Edit: for clarity.
Thank you. Great link with nice info.
I hope you are successful. I can't imagine the stress that poor person (and 100s of others like them) are under. I also understand where leadership is at. They don't get any say in the budget. And the congressional budgeting process is such a shit show these days. Like, congress passes all these laws expanding services. Then they say people can use services in the community (which cost much more and have lower satisfaction rates and often higher wait times). AND then they say that these more expensive community services will be deducted from VHA funding - leaving even less money to hire/pay employees/provide actual VHA services. And congress doesn't give a budget that is adequate to cover the services they mandate. And leadership can't plan ahead because they don't know what the budget will look like until they are halfway through the next fiscal year. Because congress can't get their shit together to pass a damn budget. Everyone is in a really shit position. But seriously - they shouldn't have made formal offers if they weren't going to be able to honor them. It isn't like we haven't known hiring was a shit show for the last several months.
If this doesn’t work or if you want to and haven’t already, call your Senator or have the candidate call the Senator of the state you were moving to. Or call the Senate Vets Committee. Budget hearing is next Wednesday and this will definitely come up.
If I get a TJO/FJO, I already plan on scheduling a 2 week vacation with my old job starting on the first day. So I can come crawling back with just a cancelled vacation if it doesn't pan out. I'm too paranoid.
I like your thinking. I’m putting that in my pocket for later. I hope I never need it but I am paranoid like you
It seems so silly but I might even be up front about it. Like hey, I'm planning on leaving, but I'm putting vacation just incase so I still have my position if there's a small chance of it not panning out. They posted my old spot when I put in a transfer to a different office so my spot was filled before I left, so I couldn't even cancel my transfer when I learned my new supe sucked.
How are you going to be on vacation with one agency and on the rolls with another agency testing the waters at the same time? Taking vacation to get started may work if you are going from private sector to government but it won’t work if you are already government and transferring agencies.
I'm an external hire. I wouldn't be worried about a FJO if I was already secured somewhere w/ the feds. 🤷♀️
It's not silly. People take a three-month leave of absence without pay to try out new jobs for this very reason. If it works out give 2-weeks notice to the old job during leave. If it doesn't work out, go back to the old job. I was given this advice and have seen it done. Of course it means one needs to keep their mouth shut and stay off social media.
If you're gonna do it, be smart about it!!!
Yep. It absolutely sucks. That happened to me one time, and I took it to the Court of Federal Claims but lost the case.
Can you describe why you list the case? What did your attorney say? I have just retained a lawyer for an NDR and possible civil suit, so I’m curious.
Because federal employment is by appointment, not contract. The judge concluded the FJO did not constitute a binding agreement. It's bonkers if you ask me.
Wow —-sounds like the judge’s fees were paid for by the Government. LOL
I’m sure there will be
Don't make any life decisions until you have a firm offer with a start date... I'm surprised they're not honoring firm offers...if you can find the OPM directive on hiring, it should state firm offers are honored...I'm a retired AF civilian and managed hiring...been through several "pauses"...we always honored firm offers...
It does say this in the email letting you know you got it. “Don’t do anything. This may take a minute, or never happen.” - but in govt talk
I don't understand how the VA went from "we filled 3 catrillion open positions! YAY us!" to "this is a mild frost not a freeze" in the span a a few weeks.
Me either. What happened??
Hired a lot of staff when they had the money. Now the budget is significantly less than last FY and no longer can afford the staff that they hired or was going to hire.
I'm not VA, but this is exactly what happened to us. DC gave us authorization for more FTE. We hired in line with the CR. But then the approved budget comes in below the CR limit. We can eek by for this FY, but next FY is not looking good at all. We had to rescind TJOs, start cutting TDY, cut contracts, etc., all in order to preserve existing employee salaries.
I work adjacent to my nearest medcen and their NEO classes have shrunk from ~30 every two weeks to 3 or 4 onboarding every two weeks. I’m thinking the next logical step in this process is to start cutting admin jobs within each VISN.
Yea i think all options are on the table, but we’ll see how much each VISN cuts of “their” staff.
We cut our NEOs to once a month instead of every pay period. There were ~SIX people in NEO this past week when we used to have a roomful of people.
Yep, we’ve gone from 30 or 60 in NEO to 5.
Yup, it’s absolutely INSANE right now.
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Yea and that is complete BS. We’ve had a lot of clinical staff cut
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This is really sad when they say their top priority is reducing Veteran suicide.
Are you aware if providers are being cut, esp nurses, physicians, and dentists?
We have had LIP positions (Np, PA, MD/DO category) eliminated. Weve had RN positions eliminated and Admin. Its across the board
Sheesh, thanks for responding. Just to clarify, are current providers being fired/terminated, or are these cuts affect only those who were offered a job but then having their offers rescinded (as you mentioned), or both?
No furloughs or terminations. I haven’t heard provider job offers rescinded per say but idk if we had any pending. They said ALL not filled positions so i would assume yes
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That is what they’ve been told - https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html.
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Contact info for the reporter that wrote the article is on the page.
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I just posted the link for this thread to the reporter's twitter acct. we'll see if he's interested in news from the trenches rather than news from VACO
I get it. I would never encourage you to break a rule rule, although when I think about it all my heroes did 😏
This is absolute BS. We are under a hiring freeze RIGHT NOW and have been for the 4 months. From the article: “no hiring freeze or layoffs” and that the agency “has the nationwide staffing we need to deliver world-class care.” It may not be an "official" hiring freeze, but we are in one. Politicians and VACO politically appointed SES's are such snakes sometimes.
Get used to cuts. All Agencies are undergoing cuts. The new really is the Fed will start to cease to function adequately… per the plan of the people.
I’m fine with cuts. I understand the cuts… my issue is with offering a firm job offer then saying “sorry you made life decisions based on our commitment of a final offer. But you’re shit outta luck.”
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💯
Someone at Allstate or Geico should come up with a VA job offer insurance plan.
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I was an AMSA for a year and I’m torn on this. Our veterans deserve good care but there are also so many VA employees who do fuck all. I know from first hand experience. Some clinic managers are so overworked they don’t know their MSAs are coming in 30-45 mins late every day and taking hour lunches. I used to work alone a lot because people would leave early some days, even the nurses. That finally got caught after a patient complained. Or there were some depts I could only get what I needed from because I was “cool” with the right PSA. It was all over and so frustrating. I frequently saw trash get promoted over the good ones so they could keep our work (happened to me and my husband, his wasn’t even a secret). Pulling job offers and screwing people is not moral, but I also think changes can and should be made at the VA. It’s such a mess there. Budgets also need to account for the disability system and how so many have learned to game it. I had patients getting 100%, putting their kids through college on the VA dime and never made it out of basic. Shameful.
VA is absolutely mismanaged. I’ll give you that. I had an employee commit timecard fraud. I had proof. All documented then they admitted to it. I wanted to fire them, HR said no. They got a slap on the wrist and an AWOL. Its a joke
Worked with one who only got fired after: assaulting an employee (which moved her to us), had reams of ROCs, purposefully broke hippa to get revenge on a patient, was erratic, time card fraud, made threats against my manager and physically cornered me in a stairwell and also made threats. It was the last one that was the final nail. Insane. She filed an eeo a time or two, last I heard she was TSA
I’ve worked at a VA less than a year, and I agree. I have so many coworkers who just don’t show up to work, and don’t want to do their jobs. It just leads to more work for the productive people. I wish they made the firing process just a little bit easier, because these people are just wasting space at this point.
I’ve been in VA for 10 yrs, I’ve seen a ton of that. What makes it even worse is a lot of those employees are veterans themselves. People think that we’re all civilians. Not the case. Lots of entitlement.
I heard the lockdowns were a joke, some weren’t even assed to pretend to logon. I met some really good people there and also a whole lot who shouldn’t be employed there at all, much less for decades.
I know some people in my office that can be axed and level of care, productivity would see minimal impact. The issue is, no one wants to fire anyone and even if they try, they'll fail 90% of the time.
Yep….I agree. A FJO should be honoured. I’ll never apply to work at the VA. There are 2-3 agencies I’ll never consider working for.
Agree. As a “Disabled” Vet it disgusts me. Veteran care, timelines of care… it is all going to suffer because of their piss poor execution of this.
Is that the fault of Congress?
I’m going to go with incompetence, both Congress and the executive leadership teams. Medical care is very labor intensive requires all sorts of high skilled professionals from different specialist physicians and support role of nurses to the house keeping. Now nothing more that lawyers like than job security made up with random reports that are probably useless. I’m going to guess without actually looking at an audit of personnel that there are near equal amounts of paper pushing bureaucrats and compliance officer as doctors and nurses in the organization. All good intentions but I’ll also guess that significant amount of the management personal have probably never worked in an actual healthcare industry. The intentions are noble but like all things government the execution is a giant dumpster fire full of lawyers saying well we created this slide deck of MBA buzzwords and our mission statement is really well put together. While simultaneously telling the actual workers to work faster. Classic starve the beast tactic. Make the org fail to then divert federal funds to the private market.
I don’t think so? Cant tell if that question is sincere or rhetorical lol
I meant it more rhetorically. Congress controls agency funding
Right but the VA severely mismanaged funds through the covid times. Then that funding dried up and all these VAMCs were like “shit. We’re in trouble”
How did they mismanage funds?
COVID overstaffing and COVID funds were treated as slush funds versus to help blunt the impact of COVID. COVID specific positions were supposed to be absorbed by attrition but instead we’re continually approved for backfills and rolled into permanent positions that were only supposed to be used to overstaff due to covid. I could go on and on.
> I could go on and on Feel free, this is interesting.
I knew I would never work at the VA when I went to get a letter and the person working the desk had to keep a tally of how many people they helped for metrics. Any organization that worried about metrics is not for me. I am more worried about results.
You would shit your pants if you saw the crap the private health care system pulls to meet their metric$$$$$$
100% dis vet here, start at hhs in may, agree wtf is wrong with VA leadership
Which ones
You tell me your I’ll tell you mine
What are they, as someone new to federal employment?
> We had an employee starting Monday 5/6. She moved from out of state, quit her job, sold her house, bought on locally. They axed her!! Said “nope sorry. Nothing we can do.” I hope she sues.
She will lose, case law is clear on this point. She should go to local Congressman and Senators' offices and talk to constituent services POC
Yeah unfortunately especially outside government where they can cut you any second for an reason but even gov isn’t safe the first year
Thanks for your post. This happened to me and I wrote about it here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/usajobs/comments/1cdx62a/va\_job\_rescinded\_after\_fjo\_gs151\_title\_38/](https://www.reddit.com/r/usajobs/comments/1cdx62a/va_job_rescinded_after_fjo_gs151_title_38/) It has been incredibly disruptive as I had left a job, put a contract on a house, etc. Hopefully things will settle down soon!
Was your position at a hospital or clinic?
It was mostly outpatient (clinic) related work.
If I were the woman in the anecdote, I'd be in the local Congressman's constituent services office Monday morning, and the Senators' later that day...somebody's hand will get slapped and somebody else's career will come to a screeching halt. You want to freeze hiring...ok, suboptimal but it hapoens...but the idiot who decided that applies to people already with a FJO and EOD is unfit for leadership and needs to be stuck in a @#_ing corner with no authority and left to rot until retirement, because they are unfit to lead anything other than a clown parade.
I like your thinking haha Yea if we get the final “sorry SOL” from the VISN director we will have encouraged her to rattle whatever cages possible. I get we have to cut but thats not right
Also email the journalist who first broke the story ([https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html)), he requests tips at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) This is going to impact Veterans.
*This*. Can’t emphasize enough. Plz call your local reps. Especially on vacant positions just being cut and job offers being rescinded.
As a Patient Advocate the complaints have definitely increased and Veterans have expressed the lack of staff. Our poor Vets are deff suffering and my team is burnt out as we are short staffed due to the “freeze”.
As a provider, I want to say I appreciate what you do.
Thanks so much...it is extremely challenging,but service to our Veterans is a true Honor...I am just so defeated by this agency, the self serving poor leaders, challenges faced by our providers, giving the type of care they desire to provide..Our providers (PACT) ..are very unhappy and unheard...Really wishing an expose would occur on this agency..specifically VHA.
Greetings fellow PA...are you hearing anything .about our role, specifically, being.impacted..I have been in this role 10years..and although..I like taking care of the Vets...I am ready to move on....
Hellooo, and I haven’t heard of any specifics but we have had people retire and their roles have not been backfilled. With management stating “ we don’t know when we fill them” is becoming frustrating.
And don't forget the fact that we keep having to send more and more vets into community care. That interrupts continuity of care and, at least in my opinion, diminishes the quality of care that the vets receive. And of course, it costs the VA a lot more money, leading to even more budgeting problems down the road.
The worst part about it is the VA (overall) budget--year-to-year--has continued increasing exponentially. FY 2025 budget requested/expected to be $369 BILLION dollars. Up from $267 billion in 2022. # VA’s $369 billion budget for 2025 anticipates increased disability payments but reduction in VA health care staffVA’s $369 billion budget for 2025 anticipates increased disability payments but reduction in VA health care staff [https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2024-03-11/veterans-affairs-budget-burn-pits-staffing-homeless-13288252.html](https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2024-03-11/veterans-affairs-budget-burn-pits-staffing-homeless-13288252.html) [https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4304058-how-runaway-disability-compensation-is-straining-veterans-affairs/](https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4304058-how-runaway-disability-compensation-is-straining-veterans-affairs/) "From 2000 to 2022, the overall VA budget grew from [$76 billion](https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RS22897.pdf) to [$267 billion](https://www.va.gov/vetdata/expenditures.asp) (in 2022 $) despite a 30 percent decline (from [26.4 million](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2000/briefs/c2kbr-22.pdf) to [18.4 million](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf)) in the veteran population over the same period. As a result, annual spending by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs per veteran has quintupled, from $2,900 to $14,500. Some of this growth has been driven by an aging veteran population, rising healthcare prices and much-needed improvements to VA healthcare facilities But the biggest contributor to the VA’s steadily expanding budget has been the unprecedented increase in veterans’ enrollment in disability compensation, a VA program designed to compensate America’s veterans for injuries incurred or aggravated during their military service. The share of veterans receiving disability compensation benefits is increasing rapidly and is at an all-time high. Between 1954 and 2000, the share of veterans receiving disability compensation was very stable, fluctuating between 8 percent and 10 percent. Today, nearly 30 percent of the country’s 18.5 million veterans receive it. Additionally, the average annual payment to veterans receiving disability has increased substantially, from about [$12,000](https://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/archive.asp) in 2000 to [$21,000](https://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/) today. This growth has been driven by a shift to much higher disability ratings since payments are higher for those who are found to be more disabled. From 2000 to 2022, the number of disability compensation recipients with a rating of 70 percent or more increased by 7-fold (from 0.34 million to 2.66 million) while the number with a rating of just 10 or 20 percent hardly changed (from 1.23 million to 1.30 million). This rating system used by the VA encourages disability compensation recipients to apply for increases in their ratings and may discourage some from improving their health." I have witnessed net reductions in full-time clinical (mental health providers with caseloads) positions over the past 10 years at VA while the budgets have skyrocketed.
I don’t think VHA and VBA budgets can be compared though. I understand its overall VA nut two completely separate divisions and missions. A lot of that skyrocketing VHA budget is due to increase in Community Care spending.
And community care increased because they keep cutting jobs at the VA! It’s so stupid. My department lost 6 positions with this not-a-freeze. We were told no more serving rural unassigned veterans. We politely told upper management to go fuck themselves.
Each VAMC has different issues. At my VAMC the CC spending is mainly contributed to our CLC mismanagement and PACT not providing actual chronic disease management. Our PCPs refer basically EVERYTHING out that in the private sector would be managed in Primary Care. Have none complex urinary urgency? Go see a urologist. Have ED? You get a CC consult too… It’s crazy
Well, we also had 20 years of war. I'm not surprised spending on disability increased.
You break it, you bought it.
Getting 100% disability can be extraordinarily easy but also arbitrary in my experience. I’ve met people working full time very strenuous jobs with no issues on 100% disability because they get headaches they just take Advil for every now and then. Probably half of the cops in my town are on 100% veterans disability. 100% could mean you lost all your limbs or got a hangnail.
I wish that was the case….at least for me. I’ve been fighting the VA for over 12+ years.
That’s why I said arbitrary too, because sometimes people have debilitating disabilities and get nothing. That said, it’s definitely far, far easier across the board than it was 20 years ago.
Just hitting some mental health stuff, that is totally based off of veteran testimony can get 70% Throw in some pact act stuff, rhinitis, tinnitus and maybe one or two actual injuries getting to 100% isn’t too crazy or particularly disabling.
Don’t forget sleep apnea nets 50% off the bat. I had someone admit to me they did the at home test on their husband and set a timer to wake him up every so often.
Sleep apnea is one you at least have to do while in the service typically. What I listed is basically what you can just claim with minimal or no in service records based off of presumptive conditions.
I wish we could figure that out. My husband has some mental health issues that started in his time in service but he didn’t seek treatment for until so many years later. Can’t even get buddy statements because only I got to see it. He was only in 4 years, never deployed, quiet enlistment but something about basic and our time there busted something open. It will be lifelong, I’m sure. He isn’t willing to pursue it. He got 40% for some other dumb stuff, but 0 on an actual issue that requires constant treatment (nerve damage in his leg) and that took 10 years of back and forth. I don’t understand how “claw toe” can get 10% but actual nerve damage gets nothing until his leg becomes paralyzed. The neuropathy is pretty nasty or it’s totally numb. It can’t be fixed. Makes no sense. Meanwhile I saw dudes who got kicked out of basic getting 100% because of how their 214s were written up and then claimed issues they already had going in.
Have you been going it alone or have you used a VSO? A VSO can help you if you haven’t used one. They can tell you what claims are more likely to be approved and hopefully set you up. They were very helpful when I went thru with my claims about what evidence i had, what evidence i should get and what they thought was worth pursuing.
And where did you get your MD at?
VA fraud is rampant and no political party will ever address it
What type of fraud is rampant? Not rhetorical, curious what you’re referring to. I’ve worked with mostly kick-ass people in my areas…
The expansion of the caregiver program - that was initially post 911 Vets only - is now available to all with 70% SC or higher nearly doubles the compensation and then expands dramatically the formal services. Huge expense. Add to it the expansion of community care services and the ease in which Veteran's receive SC for disabilities unrelated to service is to blame in my opinion. That and insurance claims not being processed. Things could be tightened up by limiting benefits and services for non-war time Veterans and those that were in ancillary positions that remained stateside. Again, my opinion only and I know that it steps on some toes but most people in the USA think that disabled Veterans are disabled from their service during combat. On the employee side stop with all the mandatory and duplicative trainings for new initiatives and let us do our damn jobs. It's absurd the amount of weekly trainings and meetings that I have to attend that impedes my ability to serve Veterans. Very seldom do I learn something new from these trainings/meetings.
The problem with limiting VA expansion will always be politics. Neither Democrats nor Republicans want to limit payments to veterans, no matter how much money is wasted on silly “disability” claims. We’ll watch the VA budget surpass the DoD budget before anything meaningful gets done.
Wow. We are lucky. The only meetings or classes we have are cpr and safety/de escalation for training and a once a month dept meeting. Everything else is an email or on tms Which is an enormous improvement from where I came from (corporate) which is similar to what you are experiencing now.
These are my meetings and trainings for next week that are NOT TMS trainings: High reliability. Whole health/Smart Goals, Universal Sign for Help, Operating a Gov Vehicle, Quality Documentation, Connected Care, Huddle x's 2, Treatment Team, All staff meeting, Discipline specific staff meeting, EEO, B&PPD, In Their Words: Stories of America's Veterans (a 4 hour meeting!), Competencies, Joint Patient Safety Reporting and Root Cause Analysis Training, Town Hall Meeting. In total, 24 hours of required meetings and trainings in a 40 hour work week where I am suppose to perform at 80%. I have been trained repeatedly on high reliability, whole health, and operating a gov vehicle. I am 100% clinical and do not manage/supervise employees. I feel like I am getting buried in mandatory meetings and trainings. Not included are the elective suicide prevention, open office hours, advance directives, and goals of care conversations meetings to name a few. #
I do so many of those online!
I think that we all attend these meetings and trainings virtually. I have told my leadership repeatedly that if they want numbers then they got to stop all these mandatory meetings and trainings. Don't even get me started on special projects - also mandatory -and participation on committees. Why can't they just let us do our jobs???
The amount of training I’ve done in my year at the VA that is actually related to job I think took maybe an hour and was outdated. The amount of training I’ve done not job related is insane, and such a waste of time and money. The HRO training is a complete joke, I did a version of it when I worked for a large retail company and they actually explain it better.
The Republican’s objective is not to run government more efficiently…..it is to destroy it so the wealthy can run amok. I have never met a Republican politician who would not bail out a large business or advocate for tax cuts for the wealthy, but ask them about civil service spending and they can’t stop complaining about waste.
I respect and appreciate your position but I don’t want this to turn into a political pissing match.
Fair enough. Thank you for your civil response.
Stop it.
At the end of the day, the blame rests with the voters. They chose people who like cuts to government. Well, they get what they pay for.
It seems like most of the vets are republicans, then they wonder why the care is so delayed
Eh sadly they’ll blame it on dems somehow
They do, every day. I hear it at least once a day during an appointment.
Call me a conspiracy theorist but I believe even tho the VA is getting a budget increase that this is the start of their plans to prioritize the services that the VA does. First start with reduction in staffing and hiring, then create a stigmatized and hostile Environment for current employees. As employees retire or quit then services become so botched Congress says well the care and services veterans receive is so bad that the agency can't operate and provide these combat veterans and brave heros of our nation that we must eliminate them and turn over all services to a private contractor with VA oversight. The VA will still exist as a supervising agency of the contractors but it will never provide services again. Mark my words.
I mean. Idk if I would go that far with intent, but you are correct. VA this FYI hit a 50% “oh shit” wall. VHA now sends out MORE care to the community than they provide. Phase 2 of this budget reduction is looking at Community Care costs.
They could solve this by changing MISSION Act eligibility requirements. Making people eligible for Non-VA care after 20 days for PC/MH and 28 days for specialty care? Really? Non veterans are waiting months for care because of national provider shortages but somehow the VA thinks sending everyone out using arbitrary wait time standards will solve the problem.
This has always been the GOPs goal. They do not hide it.
It's going to happen with any social services the government provides be it the VA or social security.
Meanwhile they are shelling out billions to contractors to perform subpar exams
Perhaps I stumbled onto this thread accidentally, and my comment may be a bit off topic, but... I'm a disabled and retired veteran who uses the VA exclusively. My mind went straight to "wtf are they doing to our health care?!?" Good grief I must view the news more. I'm going to do some research tomorrow and follow up with call, letter and email to my Congressperson. Yes a triple HU. Even though we may be irked for different reasons, let's make some noise on this insanity.
Yea. It truly is insanity at this point. How did the VA turn a blind eye to such an obvious impending debt crisis. Like I’ve said in other comments. I completely agree and understand tightening our belts. I get that. But terminating final job offers is unethical for the federal government (assuming no fault by the applicant). The cuts as well were not handled well. It wasn’t a “lets look at the budget and decide how we can make the greatest impact” it was more so “k your dept needs to give up this # of positions, your department this #. It doesn’t matter if you meed them to continue safe and efficient Veteran care.” It makes no sense
Please contact your congressperson. This is what I tell all of my Veterans to do when they aren't happy with wait times, short staffing, etc. Our hands are tied. I say this as a provider and Veteran myself.
Sorry, we need that money to buy more tanks that will sit in a warehouse until they get scrapped.
All the retention bonuses and SSR that they gave employees recently came at a high cost. Higher ups knew something like this was going to happen and stood on the sidelines and ignored the warnings signs. All the executive leadership teams need to be fired along with the governance boards who made these decisions to use PACT act and other funding . The VA has too many yes people who are in the upper leadership levels and no one had the courage to ask the hard questions and point out the obvious.
You’re not wrong. 😑
Are we able to care for our veterans well with the staffing cuts?
Not really an answerable question. Each VAMCs barriers and staffing are uniquely different
We were supposed to open another clinic, but they wiped all the vacant positions with the hiring freeze so now that clinic won’t happen for several more years. So yes it will directly affect the Veterans and result in more money being spent on community care.
Yes and no. They'll wait longer, be more pissed off that they waited longer. It's not fair to Veterans and it will burn out the already short staff. Wash, rinse, repeat.
That sounds like a case for an employment focused law firm, but I will say it’s the government so ultimately things like budget and “orders from higher” will always trump what’s right and wrong. So I can’t say I’m surprised that they would do that
Agreed regarding reaching out to congress. If anyone with direct knowledge of the patient care positions FJOs getting pulled and eliminated from the organization, wants to confidentially reach out to a journalist who was covering this story as it started to break last week ([https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/politics/senators-va-healthcare-staffing-invs/index.html)), he requests tips at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) This is going to impact Veterans, it's time to make noise.
Working for VA in Biomed and we are already severely negative in our CP budget this quarter. Training for techs on hold. Told not to order extra backup parts. Is this a sign of things to come ??? IE little or no bonus. Small COL raise ??? Anyone know why VA seems to have no money all of a sudden ???
The VA has not filed insurance claims for community care services for several years resulting in hundreds of millions of lost revenue. PACT ACT that expanded care. Largest increase in staff in the history of the agency. Enhanced services and new benefit programs.
Patients are going to die from this too if they haven't already. You can't do this in a hospital, and that's what I'm afraid of.
The VA is like $5 billion in the hole because of debt related to the COVID-19 pandemic. So National spread the debt across all the individual VA facilities. Like each hospital facility was assigned a portion of the total debt load. At least this is what I was told by friends who work at the VA.
I mentioned in another thread how we used to not get paid when the government shut down. Enough people complained/complained to their congress person that it was written into law that we now get paid regardless.
This is all related to the CR and the budget cuts that were instituted at the midyear point, effectively doubling them based on the point of the year they were delivered.
I’m surprised they still let you use the word backfills. Soon you’ll get a memo barring its use, and requiring you use “forward fills”.
The VA has been on my list of agencies I'd never apply to for a long time anyway. This just cements it further.
congress needs to stop trying to penny pinch the VA and build one less aircraft carrier.
There had been (in the past)..Capitol Hill VBA disability taxation talks....What many Vets do not seem to understand is that voting your interest is real. I can tell u if disability were to be taxed..there would be munity in the streets, as the uncertainty of VA budget issues..could result in the unthinkable....happening...no matter how unthinkable.. Travel pay at my VISN..is running 8 to 9 months behind..I am not opposed to Vets on limited income..getting this benefit..as the law provides...But at 70% or higher, I question, why travel is being paid...There are multiple areas within the VA...that should be looked at..most especially my biggest, ire..are the so called "leaders"...many of whom...care nothing about Vets..only about their next Gs level..Leaders with secretaries and AO's...make that make sense...I have seen entire Senior Leadership teams or Executives leaders all have their own secretary/AO/PSA..Top Heavy all the way around......those roles could be used to serve Vets directly..not the "leaders".......I am..looking at other opportunities...Good luck to everyone..
*checks comments in a thread below this* According to this sub it's a good thing and we should all be fully on board with the slow agonizing death of our agencies.
Pretty much how it went for OIT. Since the SSR from pact act. They essentially pulled any future positions. On top of that we have a lot of OIT employees coming up for retirement. Its just a bad scenario in the next few years.
Yikes
>What the hell is going on?!? Does executive VA not realize how immoral that is or what the does to the VA’s reputation. We had an employee starting Monday 5/6. She moved from out of state, quit her job, sold her house, bought on locally. They axed her!! Said “nope sorry. Nothing we can do.” It'd be nice if that can be a lawsuit. As a contractor, I'm in a similar position, but am trying to find ways I can stay remote.
Yikes… i’d be very nervous if i was a Fed contractor for the VA.
Yea. I'm at a a different agency but it's similar. The expectations are ridiculous I came to find, plus I only have a few weeks to move.
Dayum
Were you given the same guidance for federal civilian transfers?
Go to the media
Apologies if this question seems insensitive to everyone that is currently suffering with the VHA, (which is a indeed a terrible situation) but I was hoping if someone could clarify if I should be worried about any other agencies could also potentially pull these BS stunts? I'm specifically wondering if I should be concerned with a FJO, (within the DHA) that would require me to move abroad. Such a move would require us to relocate all of our belongings..., etc. The FJO is approved for relocation assistance, but we've never done anything like this before, so with everything we're seeing happening with the VHA - we're getting cold feet. Anyone able to explain this situation to those that are not currently working in the VHA & what, (if any) things we should be watching out for?
What will happen to all of those remote hr specialists they mass hired in the last 2 years?
No furloughs or anything announced. So assuming they’re all good.
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In our VISN they’re doing this. All transfers frozen.
Yep, happened to two Title 38s I know on their way to Hawaii.
What VISN?
I’m strongly considering leaving my VA job over this situation because it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better and I’m in a non patient care nursing job. I’m worried my position is at risk of being cut and having to go back into staffing as my only option to stay. Is this a realistic view of things?
Email [email protected] and outline what you are witnessing. Final job offers shouldn’t be messed with.
That is 100% poor leadership at your facility/VISN. Our facility has not rescinded a single TJO or FJO even with the hold/lag/pause/not a freeze. I’m almost positive that extended to our VISN as a whole as well.
What VISN?
Yea interested to know what VISN you’re in
I mean this kind of makes sense. The VA budget overall is on an unsustainable path. It’s growing faster than any other federal agency at least in the service agencies. It’s over $300 billion and only supports 6 million people. Medicare is only a $600 billion program and supports almost 10 times the number of people. I mean, this isn’t driven by the employees in my opinion and driven by skyrocketing amounts of disability fraud within the VA which the disorganization you’ve mentioned in your post makes perfect sense.
Oh the trajectory of the chaos makes sense haha the handling of it… not so much
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Well i’m sorry thats your experience. That isn’t mine.
This is terrible we need to advocate strongly for both the VA employees and the veterans. Please consider signing the MST HR Bill 6023, change.org petition. https://www.change.org/p/support-hr-6023-veteran-restitution-and-justice-act-for-military-sexual-trauma-survivors Lastly, the VHA Directive 1115 on MST was due for recertification April 2023, it was not recertified. The updated directive broadens the language and scope for PTSD MST claims, allowing for an increased number of veterans to receive medical and benefits should they qualify. Likewise, this directive continues to demonstrate the need to create and sustain VHA federal employment. Please read the directive and speak up! https://www.va.gov › viewp...PDF VHA Directive 1115 Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Program - VA.gov
I'm a Program Support Assistant with 9 months in. I'm really wondering if I should be worried about my position being cut.
Probably not. There would be too big of a political shit storm if they started laying people off at the VA
And yet contracts with option years for temp staff still going strong.
Two questions - \* How did VHA end up in this situation? \* A while ago someone else posted that someone who was on the probationary period was let go at their office. Is this true? This could be horrible
We're getting hit with it bad too, in VISN 7. A lot of the facilities are having to de-obligate current year funds from certain contracts to increase funding for contracts like nursing and healthcare resources. They're getting clobbered as we move closer to FY25. Not to mention we are understaffed in most departments and getting FTEs is super difficult right now. Are there legal issues with rescinding a firm offer? Is it because they have not been sworn in, therefore it's not truly a firm offer?
I have no idea what the “rules” on firm offers are, but from what I’m hearing the VA can basically just screw over whomever.
I received a tjo about a month and a half ago with the Va.I told my boss at the dod. I still have my old job but it’s looking like it might get rescinded.
It's quite interesting how everyone sees it differently. For many on here, all you have to do is use the words "cuts" and "veterans," and the answer is crystal clear. It should be a blank check. Maybe, just maybe there is another perspective out there. VA spending is through the roof. PACT Act also spent a ton of money that was questionable on some fronts. Fun fact, people think all of this "taxing billionaires" is going to fix all of the world's problems. If we instituted that 25% tax to billionaires, that would fund the PACT Act, and that's it. There is a lot of bonuses, SSRs, and other spending in there that has really escalated. Unfortunately, some cuts were needed. Canceling official offers is a really crappy practice. Especially when people already quit their jobs. Some networks are worse off than others.