VA Exempts Critical Personnel from Hiring Freeze Following Pressure from Collins, King

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) took action today to exempt critical personnel from the recently announced federal civilian hiring freeze. Previously, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King wrote to then President-elect Trump on January 10 urging him to exclude critical personnel from the VA who work to provide care and support to veterans from his proposed federal civilian hiring freeze. The Senators wrote that the hiring freeze could leave critical positions at Vets Centers in Caribou and Portland unfilled and effectively deny Maine veterans the health care services they have earned.

Senators Collins and King released the following statement:

“Maine veterans deserve unencumbered access to the highest quality health care services, and this hiring freeze could have jeopardized that care at a time when the VA should be taking steps to make it more accessible and more convenient. We are pleased the VA has heeded our call to exempt mission critical personnel, and we will continue to push the Veterans Health Administration to take immediate action to fill any vacancies in Maine to ensure that our veterans receive the level of care that they have earned.”