VA Hiring Process

iToniai · Apr 19, 2012

See below

iToniai · Apr 19, 2012

how far back did they go on work history for vetpro? and what happens if a business is closed and there's no way to reach the owner?

nursetaminator

this is a good question. one of my previous hospital did close after i left; i inputted the data and in the comment section i stated that. they were able to verify my employment there (not sure how but they listed it as verified). also, when i did vetpro it did not say how far back to go, it stated to list all employment relevant to my field (so i only listed my nursing jobs). i did have breaks in my employment, which as stated by others, vetpro will prompt you to fix those gaps. inputting my previous address and the dates i lived there fixed that error.

Marshall1 · Apr 19, 2012

First, one of the reasons people place more than 3 references is because of situations like this..the HR people told me the main thing that holes people up in the hiring process is references. So, contact HR, ask them to re-open VETPRO for you and put down other references. If you can't get a supervisor to do it pick a coworker. As far as the employer not giving references...that is not unusual now and the same thing happened with me. All the person checking the VETPRO info. needs to do is confirm you worked there and when. If you don't know who is handling your VETPRO info. find out and contact that person directly - preferably by email so you have things in writing. The fact the letters sound the same isn't your problem..whomever is doing your check can call or email the people to make sure they, indeed, wrote them. I can tell you dealing w/HR during and now after the hiring process IS stressful and one of the reasons, I've been told, many people give up. What I have learned early is to be VERY proactive and if they say they are going to pass your info. on to such and such - find out who that is and contact them yourself. As far as asking a patient, I wouldn't.

Eqip is done after hiring - at least for us it was - and is just as involved as VETPRO and a lot of the same info. I answered what I could but as I told them, I do not remember every job from the time I was 16 until now or former neighbors names. Do the best you can and fill in the blanks w/anything you think is accurate. Good luck!

elprup, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2012

Thanks. After a good nites sleep I feel better. I will ask HR to call and confirm. I have already done Eqip and physical, drug test and fingerprint. I will pursue on.

nursequilt · Apr 28, 2012

This thread has been helpful to me for my journey to work at the VA Dallas. I interviewed 3/8 and received tentative offer 3/13. Two days later my physical was scheduled and I had completed VetPro. My supervisor references received their packets at work address and my HR department would not allow them to complete. My HR department completed their packets. One arrived to the VA and one did not. My third reference did not return the packet. I completed my physical and was finger printed and completed EQIP all same day. I completed my Board Package and returned by 3/28. Whew. I had three more references for this package. It seems that when I was not at work, I was working on the board package so that I could get the highest salary offer possible. I received salary offer and was boarded as a Nurse I, Level 3, Step 14 (I currently have associates degree). In order to accept the position I will be taking a deep salary cut, but should be able to recoup in a couple of years. I had to provide one more supervisor reference, which I hand carried to HR today. When I arrived with my reference, I was told by my VetPro person that the college I attended could not verify my degree because of a problem with a computer merge several years ago. I had to take my diploma to the college to prove I had graduated with my degree. Whew! This was today. I was notified by email later today that my package has been sent to the Section Chief for signature. I think that when the Section Chief signs off on my packet, I will receive a Firm offer of employment and can set a start date. What a ride.

Marshall1 · Apr 28, 2012

Follow up EVERY WEEK until you hear something. Also, I was told the FERS (fed retirement) and TSP (retirement supplement were optional). FERS is NOT - 1% of your pay is automatically taken from your check. If you do not want TSP on top of that you MUST complete a waive form, have it notarized and get it back to HR so this won't be taken out as well. Another "surprised" was life insurance...we were told we were covered our salary plus 2K & if we wanted more we could opt to pay for that..what they didn't tell us was we are still charged for basic life insurance so I'm in the process of stopping this now. I didn't find any of this out, nor did the other new hires, until our checks came out. The HR people will make it sound like you are being given these benefits - you are not - you will pay for them. I have also not received my reimbursement for traveling the 500 miles for the week for orientation. I am contacting the people who reimburse for travel every week and will continue to do so until it is paid as we were told we would be given meals and a hotel since we were required to go to the facility 2 hrs away for education. This did not happen so we were told mileage at the least. Two of us were told out student loans could be paid back - we would owe the VA so many years for however much they paid. THAT changed. HR told us because they failed to place this information in the ad we can't get it. I'm not trying to be negative - just educational. Get everything in writing, don't be surprised at how SLOW HR is and if you are due something or need something do not rely just on your new boss to get it for you - contact the person in the dept. directly - and if you don't know who it is - go to the head of the dept. I don't know about the Nurse steps/levels...too confusing for me but they seem to know so....keep us posted. It's a long process that many people do not follow through on so keep going.

nursetaminator · Apr 29, 2012

Here's a question for those recently hired (or who are already with the VA): Do you have to work for the VA 5 years or 10 years to be eligible to retire with benefits - at least insurance? I was recently offered a job with them and am waiting on ppwk from HR to get the process rolling. When the HR person called I asked if it was 10 years (which is what's on the website) and she told me no, it's 5. So kinda confused. I have to call them this week and I'll ask again, but was wondering what others know or have been told. Thanks!

Marshall1 · Apr 29, 2012

It's 5 years...and the FERS retirement is mandatory participation but the TSP is optional.

elprup, BSN, RN · May 2, 2012

Info on my reference letter problem...HR wanted my ref letters to have all nine deminsions of nursing examples in them. I thought I could write my own examples, which is what the directions said. I found out I could write them, but my info had to be contained with in the reference letters with their signatures. Kind of a weird situation, rewriting my reference letters and adding my nursing deminsion examples and asking my refs to resign. But that is what I was told to do. Still no word yet for me. I am hoping I have not lost this job.

Marshall1 · May 2, 2012

I have never heard of the 9 dimensions of nursing so I can't help you there but this sounds like someone doesn't really know what they are talking about and you are having to redo a lot of things you should not be having to. I would contact the person you interviewed with directly and ask him/her if you are still in the running. when I was going through the process I had to do this several times as HR, at least the one attached to where I work, is VERY slow and no one seems to ever answer their phones. I wait a few days then go up the chain. I am still having to work out issues of travel reimbursement - money still not received - and going through hoops to get money stopped from being taken out of my check for benefits I didn't sign up for. In fact, I am going to be contacting everyone again today when I get to work. Keep us posted

elprup, BSN, RN · May 3, 2012

Thanks Marshall, VA had their meeting tuesday, so I tought either I would get a call/email today, but I didn't. I agree, i will be calling everybody tomorrow. I just hope this is not their way of telling me "congats on gettin this far, but sorry we are not hiring you". Because last week they were hounding me to get stuff redone and into them ASAP so my orientation could start next Monday.I very much appreciated your guidance regarding reimbursements. I'm going to be spending 5 days 4 nights in San Fran. That ought to be a good chunk of change. But I am sooo ready.

Marshall1 · May 3, 2012

Keep every receipt you can while you are on orientation and keep copies and you are going to have to keep on them about getting reimbursed. I am STILL waiting for my reimbursement for mileage and meals (I drove 103 miles/day for 5 days for orientation.) They told myself and one other person HR would give us a gov't vehicle to drive, that didn't pan out, HR then told us they would set us up in a hotel and pay meals and mileage - that didn't pan out either. My boss was literally calling HR day 1 of orientation to find out what was wrong. Never did. But I was told, again by HR, to go through a site called FedTraveler to get reimbursed for mileage and meals. I did. And not THAT isn't the correct way so HR is supposedly working on it. I wouldn't care except it's 100's of dollars and another facility was closer to me for orientation and I had already driven the 2 hrs and spent a whole day on my time/gas to get the physical etc. Also, when in orientation listen CAREFULLY to all the benefits. If there is something you do not want make SURE to take care of getting the forms and turning them in while you are there that week or you will, like the rest of us, get some surprises in your 1st check. All monies are direct deposited and while I've gotten a few pay checks now I have yet to see a check stub. Some peoples shows up, others say every so often they get one - which makes me wonder where they are going but I have quickly learned you have to stay on people here to get things done even at a snails pace. Once you get the kinks worked out you will be able to relax and enjoy the new job but the beginning is far more stressful than I think it needs to be and more so than in the private sector so just hang in there.