U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today cosponsored legislation that would encourage the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to work with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to recruit medical personnel and professionals currently employed across military medical departments to work for the VA, providing jobs for Montana veterans.
“Veterans serving veterans makes sense. My bill will help ensure Montanans making the transition from warrior to veteran have a job available where they can support their fellow veterans,” Daines said. “This will also help support and strengthen our veterans health services with the care they need and deserve.”
The VA currently has over 45,000 open positions and staff shortages are a barrier to better care for our veterans.
An average of 13,000 active duty medical department members separate from the military each year at the end of their enlistment, contracts or through retirement and limited efforts are being made to recruit these personnel to work with the VA.
Daines’ bill would help to fill these open VA positions with DoD and military personnel who have already received extensive training and medical education through their service, including primary care physicians, neurosurgeons, nurse practitioners, health care administrators, physical therapists, pharmacists, radiology technicians, medical logisticians and more.
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