-Caveat Lector- <<Interesting variable in the military equation; retention, recruitment, conflict, benefits are among other variables. A<>E<>R >> >From Wash (DC) Post VA Planning Major Layoffs 1,100-Plus Jobs May Be Lost at Medical Facilities By Bill McAllister Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, April 16, 1999; Page A27 More than 1,106 workers at veterans hospitals face loss of their jobs under reductions in force approved this week by Veterans Affairs Secretary Togo D. West Jr. VA officials said yesterday that requests for additional RIFs at nine VA medical facilities are awaiting West's approval. Overall, it could be one of the biggest layoffs any federal department has approved in recent years. The VA was moving ahead with the reductions even as lawmakers were squabbling over how much to add to the Clinton administration's $44 billion VA budget for fiscal 2000. A senior VA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, could not offer assurance that some layoffs would be averted even with additional funds. Some of the staff cuts stem from budgetary problems faced by the department's network of nearly 170 hospitals, the official said. Others are because of changes in how the VA delivers health care to the nation's 25 million veterans, he said. The department is moving away from hospital-based care toward community-based outpatient clinics that offer preventive care. The result is that many hospital workers are no longer needed, the official said. Most of the announced 1,106 layoffs would be at VA hospitals in the North, mainly in New York, New Jersey and Illinois. They result, in part, from recent legislation that directed the department to shift funds to hospitals in the Sun Belt. The migration of elderly veterans to those states has crowded VA hospitals there, creating longer waits for doctor appointments and other services. There was no mention of RIFs at any Washington area facilities in the downsizings approved by West, officials said. The VA's Washington health care headquarters lost about 253 positions, or 20 percent of its staff, in 1996. The VA has conducted a number of small RIFs at hospitals in other areas in the past two years. The department asked Congress this week for renewed authority for buyouts--payments of up to $25,000 to encourage employees to leave the payroll. Under federal personnel law, federal workers must be given 60 days' notice of a layoff. The RIF procedures triggered by the law then allow senior workers to "bump" others in lower-level positions and to transfer to other federal installations if comparable jobs are vacant. As early as 1996, VA officials were warning that the department, without sharp budget increases, faced layoffs of up to 10,000 workers, including physicians and nurses. Last year they issued similar warnings, saying the VA urgently needed new sources of revenue, especially Medicare reimbursements, if it was to avoid large-scale layoffs this year. Congress did not approve the Medicare plan and the administration did not budge from its plans not to increase veterans health care spending. The flat VA budget has prompted an intense lobbying effort by veterans groups and a firestorm between Democrats and Republicans over how much to add to the VA budget. On Wednesday, several leaders of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs committees hailed an agreement by budget conferees to add $1.7 billion to the VA's 2000 health care budget. Rep. Lane Evans (Ill.), ranking Democrat on the House panel, objected to the spending agreement, however, calling it "a wolf in sheep's clothing." He said it will cut the VA's discretionary spending, which goes largely to the hospitals, by $1.4 billion in 2001. © Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority. -Thomas Huxley + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. 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