The Department of Veterans Affairs is asking retired VA clinicians to come back to help treat COVID-19 patients.
As of March 24, there had been 296 positive coronavirus cases among U.S. veterans. The VA received approval from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to waive a section of federal law to make it easier for the VA to rehire retired physicians, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, respiratory therapists and other medical professionals.
Retired VA workers who are rehired usually receive a reduced salary since they're already getting a retirement annuity, but the waiver eliminates the salary reduction.
The VA said it plans to start rehiring workers as early as this week and has used Twitter and Facebook to advertise its need for help, according to NPR.
"WE NEED YOU! Help us in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Consider #VA re-employment," the department tweeted.
The department is short-staffed, with 44,000 vacancies, NPR reports.