President Donald Trump’s recently announced hiring freeze for federal employees will affect vacancies across West Virginia’s four Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.
The Register-Herald reports that a government website advertising job vacancies within the VA lists 56 openings in West Virginia, including jobs for licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, physicians assistants, doctors and chiefs of staff. The site lists 1,200 VA openings nationwide.
Ron Jennings, a 43-year-old Beckley native and U.S. Army retiree, says he fears the hiring freeze will increase veterans’ wait time for health care services and force some veterans to have to travel to other VA hospitals.
Amy Graham, a spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, says the hiring freeze is a “temporary measure” that will allow officials to fix ongoing problems within the VA.