The majority of nurses, doctors, and other personnel providing care to military veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs do not qualify for the deferred resignation offer from the Trump administration, according to an email from the Veteran Affairs (VA) leadership sent on Friday.
Nurses were part of the group that initially received the offer, but their unions advised against accepting it. They were warned that a mass departure would significantly impact the care provided to the 9.1 million veterans enrolled.
The Associated Press reported that it has reviewed the email, which contained a letter from the VA’s human resources department, along with a spreadsheet listing over 130 job titles identified as “VA EXEMPTION REQUESTS.”
“It seems like it’s almost everyone,” said Mary-Jean Burke, a physical therapist and leader of the American Federation of Government Employees. “We are working to determine who qualifies.”
The occupations the VA considered ineligible for the offer include laundry workers, cooks, nurses, pharmacists and even physicians.
Full-time probationary employees and possibly some employees who were going to retire in 2025 are considered eligible, per the letter.
On Thursday, a federal judge extended the deadline for federal workers to accept the Trump administration’s sweeping buyout offer.
Earlier, the government had set a Thursday deadline for federal workers to determine whether they wanted to take the deal. They could do so by simply replying “resign.”
But they now have until Monday to accept the deal, as the court will consider the bid to block the offer in a Monday hearing.
“The rules are changing day to day,” said Irma Westmoreland, the head of the Veterans Affairs unit for National Nurses United.
She stated that the VA is already facing a severe shortage of nurses, adding, “We would never abandon our veterans.”
The Hill reached out to the Trump administration for comment.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
