VA is hiring new staff at an unprecedented rate, while working to attract, recruit and retain the best employees. We’re hiring faster and working to reduce the turnaround time to have new employees onboard.
VHA is well on its way to achieving its 52,000 new hire goal for FY 2023. We welcomed 18,502 new hires in the first four months of the year, the highest hiring level in the history of VA for that time period.
Hiring new staff at unprecedented rate
VBA’s total workforce grew by 1,369 employees (5.27%) in the first four months of FY23. That’s compared to 0.93% growth in same period FY22. This is the highest growth rate in the past 20 years.
A substantial growth rate so far this year
VHA’s goal is to hire 30,000 employees in seven important occupations: physicians, nurses, housekeeping aids, medical support assistants, nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and food service workers.
We’re working to increase the percentage of positions that VHA proactively recruits from 25% to 35% this year, then from 35% to 50% by next year.
VA began implementing the PACT Act hiring authorities in waves starting immediately after enactment in August 2023. To date, five of the six waves have been completed, resulting in more than 10 new authorities to support hiring and retention including:
- Removal of restrictions on hiring of housekeeping aides
- Expedited hiring of college graduates and post-secondary students
- Higher limits for student loan repayments
- Recruitment, relocation and retention incentives, and special contribution awards
- Eliminating statutory limits on awards and bonuses.
Here are a few more VBA hiring achievements:
- VBA’s strength as of Jan. 31, 2023, is 27,337
- Including Pre-PACT Act hires to support servicing of Toxic Exposure/Military Environment Exposure (TE/MEE) claims, VBA’s workforce has increased by 10% in the last 12 months (Feb. 2022 – Jan. 2023)
- VBA attrition rate for FY23 through January is 2.69%, which compares to a rate of 4.64%% in FY22
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Army Veteran Denis Velez donated a painting of his VA hospital as a way of giving back for his treatment there.
send opening positions for direct care or CNA please.
When I was at TR House at the Salisbury VA in 2018, I did Compensated Work Therapy. When I left TR House and finished CWT, I applied to be a housekeeper. Even though the application said that veteran applicants got 5 points for being a veteran or 10 points if a disabled veteran, the company that was vetting applications refused to give me my 5 points. This was even though it said on the application 5 points were awarded for being a veteran.
Since I had worked in housekeeping during CWT, it shouldn’t have been that hard to hire me. I applied twice. I will never apply to the VA to work ever again, and the only mistake I made was not filing an EEOC complaint because of your hiring practices. Lesson learned. If you really needed employees that badly, you would treat the veterans who applied for them a lot better. In case you’re wondering, I was honorably discharged, so there was no excuse for not giving me those points for hiring.
I’d love to work for the VA and give back. I have applied for over 100 jobs on USAJOBS, and have not received even 1 interview… Please help me, I am a 100% disabled veteran and would like to give back to other veterans.
How do I do the application I am a pct
I am a veterans spouse and I applied through USAjobs.gov last year. After months of waiting I finally reached out and the gentleman over the phone said my resume was pushed to the side due to me not submitting the “exact” amount of hours I worked at a job on my resume. I am not sure what that time was considering it was many years ago but I felt it should not be an issue as I put the dates I worked there. I was unemployed for many years due to being a VA caregiver for my 100% disabled veteran but my dream has always been to work for the VA. I start nursing school in January 2024 and would love to get started in the VA however I can. So if anyone has any suggestions or advice I would greatly appreciate it.
Typical government puff piece for the VA. I along with an extremely high number of vets have applied for all types of positions. As of today not one has received any response. If you do not already work for them or are related or a good friend of someone, forget about it. Unless you want to take subpar pay to relocate to a high cost of living area. I know more people that are not veterans that have been hired by the VA than I do vets. And some if not most with less qualifications than the vets.
I would like to take a few moments to let you know how much I appreciate all the important information that you share to veterans and their families as a Combat Veterans of the United States ??, I look to the Veterans administration of Georgia for comfort and support as a Combat Veterans some life stressor can take a toll on you, but knowing you have a support network for you and your family gives you a little hope and comfort in dealing with adjusting and balancing your life and Family, in closing, I appreciate the help love always United States Veterans ??
It’s a “feel good” story but not very truthful. Most jobs are only available if you are already a federal employee. Especially for remote work. That is, of course, you are willing to relocate to a high cost area for the same amount of pay. Typical BS.
I have been applying for jobs with the VA for months. Once I heard about the massive hiring, I thought I would have heard something by now. I would like to know when is the next job fair at the New Orleans location.
I am currently looking for employment but i have tried applying to the VA years ago not sure how difficult it is to become an employee but if you can help I would appreciate the help. Thank you
With a background in Education and Sales. I would love to continue serving my country….Army Vet.
I went to the VA hospital in Atlanta for a stomach issue. They screwed up with a pink one and put me in a coma for two months. Meanwhile everything was shut down kidneys, etc. when I finally got out I filed for disability and I was told I was not disabled, but yet they gave me a wheelchair they gave me ramps for my dooorand they give me grab bars in my bathroom. But denied disability. I had to retain a lawyer and after 2.5 years they approved me for 100%. But they refused to pay for the 2.5 years I had nothing. It’s been over two years since we filed for an appeal and nothing’s done. The VA sucks treating veterans
I don’t know who they are hiring but they are very selective about which branches get the job and also it’s a great deal of nepotism and who you know in certain department which is completely unfair if you asked me. I’ve looked for work when I did my undergraduate in nursing and couldn’t find jack so I went and got a master and still to this day can’t even get an entry level…, we have ppl there who refuses to retire even though they have been there 30+years they would rather downgrade jobwise then to retired not giving the younger generation a chance to work. The VA needs a great deal of changes in their overall system NOT just spending money to make the hospital looks pretty while veterans are getting barely adequate care!!!!
This article is hilarious to me. I looked for a VA job some ten year ago. Was turned down. Terminology was incorrect. Everyday cleanser like Pine-Sol, household cleanser was unacceptable answer. Had to know the VA lingo of some long drawn out name. Same chemical ingredient, just not the one used by everyday folk, yet still the same cleansing. Met a homeless guy I knew from the streets who got the job, he said, oh David you have to meet right person to say the right words on the exam. I have never met the person who would teach me what words are being looked for on the exam. Same job, same stuff, just using words the VA wants to hear. Same action same behaviour, just has to be the words on the exam. Oh twell, shame the VA wont hire veterans with the capabilities only because the veteran uses common everyday words instead of the words the VA is looking for. OK, this article is mentioning jobs outside of my expertise, or is housekeeping aids another one of those colloquial the VA uses to make it sound more important than what it really is?
I’ve heard the VA will take away my disability if I work for the VA.
[Editor: Completely false.]
The only way they take away a disability percentage is if you are on 100% Unemployability. You would then default back to your 70-90% rating. There is only one other way and that is if you disability claim is fraudulent.
I’m a retired veteran with a degree in project management and I’m willing to work in housekeeping or any other capacity that will help my family and fellow veterans. What website do we use to apply for these positions?
I am a retired veteran who would like to get a part time job. I worked for 18 years as an intervention leader for people who abuse their partners. I know I have other skills that are useful for veterans and non veterans in the area of advocacy.
Hiring Massage Therapist?
I’m a carpenter , and USMC VET
would love to work a few day a week as a carpenter .
To All!
It took me almost 16 years with college degrees and certification plus years of experience to get a VA job. I’m also a Navy and Army vet! Once I got my job at the VA, I found out that the trick is to have your resume match word per word what the job requirements are asking. The system is looking for all those key words the requirements is asking. Good luck!
One more tip, use the usajobs resume builder as system prefers it over downloaded copy.
Well, if VA is hiring; I have been applied for VA in the administration area and always tell me that I don’t qualify. I do have 14 years of experience pm the Army. Please don’t fool the people with this information.
I’m a retired college administrator without military experience. Is there a possibility that there might be a position available for my skill set.
It is about time, my Dr. only has time to see me once a year just to renew Rx. Sense I am on Medicare I am to use Kaiser for all other medical needs. When a VA Dr. moves to new job to you lose your Dr. and can not renew Rx. untill you get new Dr. which takes time. I am 100% .
So when are they going to make the “new” hires responsible?
When they make their leadership responsible!
Same old story, same old song and dance. The VA will never get the proper people in either the benefits or health side, no matter how much money they throw at it. The regency will continue to show up their finances when they can cut where they need to, and give extremely small consideration to claims that are complex and serious. As long as I have been under the care of the VA (40 years) I have yet to get quality healthcare. I can’t complain because I am getting healthcare. What is the VA agenda, not the patient agenda. The claims process on the benefit side is considerably broken. Backlogs continue to stay at unacceptable levels, a lot of people don’t want to work in that environment of stress and meeting fairly unattainable goals to please their masters. It’s a federal bureaucracy that is never going to change ever. I have been collecting news articles for 40 years on the VA failures, on both sides. I actually heard it one time they were going to fix homelessness. How’s that going for you folks?
So how is this possible? And what are they looking for in an applicant? I am retired and 100% with a degree and every time I apply for a VA position they tell me that I don’t qualify due to not meeting work and education requirements. The funny thing is that education requirements for all of my applications were only to have an AA and I have a BSBA w/honors. So so.eone please tell me what is wrong with the VA system. And what are all these new applicants are doing that I’m not?
Alan,
It took me almost 16 years with college degrees and certification plus years of experience to get a VA job. Once in, I found out that the trick is to have your resume match word per word what the job requirements are asking. The system is looking for all those key words the requirements is asking. Good luck!
I am happy for those that are getting and will get hired by the VA. I have applied to over 30 positions without landing an interview. I am a 22 year Air Force veteran. I have plenty of working years remaining, I would like to work those years at the VA. Usajobs is a very frustrating site for me!
Wow! Me too Karly but not that many. I applied to a civilian position equivalent to what my job was in the Navy. I got 1 interview and that was it. The exact same position! I called about the position a few days after the interview and was told the position had been filled. I received a letter 2 months later. I’m not sure what USAJOBS and the agencies listed are looking for but it sure isn’t Veterans with experience.
Karly,
I’m a vet as well and It took me almost 16 years with college degrees and certification plus years of experience to get a VA job. Once in, I found out that the trick is to have your resume match word per word what the job requirements are asking. The system is looking for all those key words the requirements is asking. Good luck!
Karly, I feel you, I retired in 2017 (Army MEDIC) with a degree and have applied to numerous positions I can’t even count and I’ve had 1 interview from 2017 to 2023. Needless to say, I did not get the job. I have applied to so many positions that I (know) I was qualified for, my resume was and is on point, but still no cigar. I’d say 50 to 60 percent of these positions at the VA are all about who you know, yes I said it! And it seems as though our Veteran perks (30% or more disabled Schedule A) along with being qualified don’t work in our favor well at least not for me. Over the years people who work there tell me to apply for housekeeping to get in the door. Nothing against housekeepers but why should I have to do that when I’m qualified to work in other areas that I have experience in keyword EXPERIENCE! But on the bright side, I finally landed a GS position at a MEPS station. So to all of you out there don’t give up.
I have over 50 “thanks but no thanks” replies. I’m a retire Marine with 20 years experience in my field, a former Director of a University, and 100% service connected. I cannot fathom why I’ve been passed up on jobs that I am obviously overqualified for. So I decided to do a little experiment and remove my disability status on a job announcement. Believe it not, I started getting interviews. Unfortunately I could not take the position due to the distance from where I lived. In one interview, I mentioned my disability and I was shocked that my interviewers actually asked me if my disability would hamper my ability to do the job!!! The leadership at the VA is one of the worst I have ever encountered, I should know, I used to teach a leadership course during my tenure as an adjunct professor. Go and read some of the stories on various VA blog sites. employees number one complaint is the lack of good candidates being hired and the non-movement of qualified employees in their ranks. Their last employee review said that employees are all experiencing burnout, mainly due to the inability to move up and bad leadership.. I strongly believe the VA should be taken over by the private sector, then maybe it would be a place where veterans would get the proper treatment and have pride working for..
This is very good news. I waited for almost an hour for a labs appointment this week.
This is a very good method of updating Veterans. As a result of the information provided by the VA and the PACT ACT I have now submitted a Hypertension Supplemental Claim on 3/1/23 . I filed the Original Hypertension Claim in 2016 for Hypertension due to Agent Orange Herbicide as a Marine who served a year on the ground in Viet Nam but the Original Claim was denied because Hypertension was not a Presumptive at that time.
Thank you for informing me of Hypertension now being a Presumptive.
This a great COMMENT: .
My comment I am retire Army working in HR for 20 years, I applied for va jobs and never was selected. I went on to work for local level one Hospital in Atlanta, GA, worked there for 24 years. I have at least 4 more years I would like to work. Currently unemployed.
Need a job
I first worked for the VA in a work study and hired on after my boss said a position was going to become available.
Let go four days before going permanent.
Sent through Vocational Rehab to another VA office for substantially less than what I was making at the Regional Office.
After more years of applications, I either hear nothing, get referred or never get selected though I meet all requirements and with Veterans Preference.
Who is the VA hiring? Cause I am persistent, I go there personally to ask for help and still nothing.. If they don’t hire vets, then how can this claim to help vets be true?
I have read the comments and see that I am not alone. But there is no one to complain to or question or their hiring process.
Lee County VA Clinic needs more help .
The Lab is especially understaffed..
They need to higher someone who knows simple math. Va is saying I owe them 18k. I look at simple stuff and they owe me 5k. I have to take it to the board of appeals and explain to a judge. Waste of my time and theirs. Job security I guess.
Glad there’s attention being made. Lot of V.A. Hospital’s and Clinic’s doing good work but there’s always need for cleanup in all area’s. Management in every department should be main focus. If management is run right it takes big stress load off nurses and Dr’s so they can care for their patients better. We need and support good health care workers to try to make our lives better??