Crow Joins Gardner, Tipton to Introduce Legislation to Overhaul Veterans Affairs Hiring Process
Statement
Today, Congressman Jason Crow joined Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Representatives Scott Tipton (CO-3) along with Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) to introduce the Veterans Improved Access and Care Act, legislation designed to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hiring process to make it easier to fill staffing shortages at the agency.
Many VA hospitals continue to experience long wait times and staffing shortages as a result of a lengthy hiring process, and a primary driver of the protracted hiring process is the onboarding process for licensed medical providers. According to a McKinsey and Company Assessment from September 2015, the VA hiring timeline spans 4-8 months while a typical private sector organization hires staff between 0.5 and 2 months. Furthermore, "candidates for many roles are often unwilling to wait roughly six months to be on boarded, especially when positions with other hospitals are readily available."
This bipartisan legislation aims to address this problem by authorizing the VA to establish a pilot program to expedite the hiring of licensed medical professionals in locations where there are shortages of available specialists. The bill also requires the VA Secretary to submit a report detailing a strategy on how to reduce the length of the VA's hiring process by half for licensed medical professionals."
"For some veterans, long wait times and bureaucracy at the VA can be more than just frustrating, it can be devastating. As a veteran, and now a member of Congress, I promise to never turn my back on those that served and this bill is an important first step to finding new solutions to help remedy some of the troubles plaguing the VA," said Crow. "Right now, there are over 40,000 vacancies at the VA across its departments. Expediting the hiring process ensures we quickly and efficiently hire medical personnel who provide the medical care our veterans need and deserve."
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