Why VA Hospitals Want to Hire You

The VA runs 1,321 health care facilities across the country. That includes 171 VA Medical Centers and over 1,100 outpatient sites. They need staff. A lot of staff. And veterans sit at the top of their list.

VA hospitals are not like private hospitals. They serve veterans. So they want employees who understand veterans. You already do. You lived it. That gives you a real edge over civilian applicants who have never set foot on a military base.

But here is the problem. Many veterans apply to VA hospital jobs and never hear back. They find the listing on USAJobs, submit a generic resume, and wait. Weeks go by. Nothing. The application sits in a queue because the resume did not match the job announcement.

I went through this exact cycle after I separated as a Navy Diver. I applied to federal jobs for a year and a half with zero callbacks. The problem was not my experience. The problem was how I presented it. Once I figured out how federal hiring actually works, I got hired into six different federal career fields.

This guide covers everything you need to know about VA hospital jobs. You will learn what types of positions exist, how the VA hiring system works, and exactly what to put on your resume so it actually gets seen.

What Types of Jobs Do VA Hospitals Have?

Most people think VA hospitals only hire nurses and doctors. That is a fraction of what they need. A single VA Medical Center can have 2,000 to 5,000 employees across dozens of job families.

Here are the major job categories at VA hospitals:

Clinical roles: Registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physicians, physician assistants, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, and mental health counselors.

Administrative roles: Medical support assistants, health administration specialists (GS-0670), program analysts, budget analysts, human resources specialists, and medical records technicians.

IT and technology: IT specialists (GS-2210), health informatics, cybersecurity analysts, systems administrators, and biomedical equipment technicians.

Facilities and trades: Maintenance mechanics, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, engineering technicians, and environmental services workers. These are Wage Grade (WG) positions.

Police and security: VA Police Officers (GS-0083) protect VA facilities. Veterans with military police or security forces backgrounds fit these roles well.

Supply chain and logistics: Supply technicians (GS-2005), inventory management specialists, warehouse workers, and distribution facility workers. If you were a 92Y, LS, or any supply MOS, these jobs use the same skills you already have.

If you are not sure which civilian jobs match your military specialty, BMR has a military-to-civilian job crosswalk tool that maps your MOS, rating, or AFSC to federal job series and civilian titles.

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How Does VA Hiring Work? Title 38 vs Title 5

This is where most veterans get confused. The VA uses two different hiring systems. They are called Title 38 and Title 5. Some positions even fall under a hybrid of both.

Title 38 positions cover clinical and medical roles. Nurses, doctors, dentists, physician assistants, podiatrists, optometrists, chiropractors, and some social workers fall under Title 38. These jobs have their own pay scales. Nurses use the Nurse Pay Scale (separate from the General Schedule). Physicians have a special pay authority too.

Title 5 positions cover everything else. Admin staff, IT, police, logistics, HR, budget, and facilities jobs are all Title 5. These follow the regular GS pay scale that applies across all federal agencies. A GS-11 at the VA is the same grade and pay as a GS-11 at the Department of Defense or any other agency.

Hybrid Title 38 positions are a third category. These include roles like registered dietitians, licensed professional mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and some social workers. They get certain Title 38 benefits (like different qualification standards) but are paid on the GS scale.

Why does this matter? Because the application process is different for each. Title 38 nursing jobs often post directly on the VA careers site. Title 5 jobs always post on USAJobs. Knowing which system your target job uses saves you time and keeps you from looking in the wrong place.

What Hiring Authorities Help Veterans at the VA?

The VA has several special hiring paths just for veterans. These can move your application faster and give you an advantage over non-veteran applicants.

Veterans Preference (VPref): If you have a service-connected disability rating or served during a covered period, you get 5 or 10 points added to your score. For Title 5 positions, this can push you above civilian applicants. You need your DD-214 (Member 4 copy) and SF-15 to prove eligibility.

Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA): This lets hiring managers bring in veterans at GS-11 or below without going through full competition. No public posting required. If a hiring manager wants to hire you and you qualify, VRA makes it fast.

30% or More Disabled Veteran Authority: If you have a 30%+ VA disability rating, a hiring manager can bring you on without competition. No job posting. No waiting. They send your name to HR and start the process.

Schedule A for Disabled Veterans: Another non-competitive path. If you have a disability rating letter from the VA, you can be hired directly into permanent positions.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): This lets veterans apply to internal merit promotion announcements. Jobs that say "status candidates only" become open to you if you qualify under VEOA.

The VA uses category rating to rank applicants. Your application lands in one of three buckets: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Veterans preference applies within those buckets. So your resume still needs to score high enough to reach the Best Qualified category. Preference alone will not save a weak application.

How to Find VA Hospital Jobs on USAJobs

Finding VA hospital jobs on USAJobs takes some filtering. There are thousands of VA postings at any given time. You need to narrow them down to hospital-specific roles at locations you want.

Here is how to search effectively:

1. Go to USAJobs.gov and type your target job title or series number in the keyword field. For example: "Registered Nurse," "Medical Support Assistant," "IT Specialist," or "2210" for the IT series.
2. Filter by Agency. Select "Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration" as the agency. This removes VBA (Benefits) and NCA (Cemetery) jobs and shows only hospital and clinic positions.
3. Filter by Location. Add your city, state, or zip code. Set the radius to 25 or 50 miles.
4. Sort by date. Newest first shows you fresh postings you can apply to right away.
5. Save the search. Turn on email alerts so you get notified when new positions post.

One mistake veterans make: they search too broadly. Typing "VA jobs" returns everything from cemetery caretaker to hospital director. Be specific. Use the job series number when you know it.

The most common GS series at VA hospitals include:

• GS-0610: Nurse
• GS-0620: Practical Nurse
• GS-0679: Medical Support Assistant
• GS-0670: Health System Administration
• GS-2210: IT Specialist
• GS-0083: Police Officer
• GS-0185: Social Worker
• GS-0660: Pharmacist
• GS-0633: Physical Therapist
• GS-2005: Supply Technician

Search by series number and you will find exactly what you need. No scrolling through hundreds of unrelated results.

What Should Your VA Hospital Resume Look Like?

Your resume for a VA hospital job needs to follow federal resume rules. That means more detail than a private sector resume. But it still needs to be two pages max.

Here is what your federal resume must include for every position listed:

• Job title: Your exact title (use the civilian translation, not the military one)
• Employer name and location: For military jobs, list the branch, unit, and base location
• Start and end dates: Month and year for each position
• Hours per week: Federal HR requires this. Write "40 hours/week" for full-time roles
• Supervisor name and phone: Yes, they want this. Write "Available upon request" if needed
• Detailed duties and accomplishments: This is where most veterans fall short

The duties section is where your resume wins or loses. You need to match the language in the job announcement. Read the "Duties" and "Qualifications" sections word by word. Then write your experience using those same terms.

Notice the second version uses words a VA hospital hiring manager would recognize. "Nutrition services," "health and safety regulations," and "food service operations" are federal terms. The military acronyms are gone.

Finding the right keywords from the USAJobs announcement is the most important step. Your resume gets ranked by how well it matches the job posting. The closer the match, the higher you rank in the system.

BMR's Federal Resume Builder handles this translation for you. Paste the job announcement, and it pulls the keywords and formats your experience to match the posting.

How Long Does the VA Hiring Process Take?

Slow. That is the honest answer. The VA hiring process takes longer than most federal agencies. Plan for 60 to 120 days from application to start date. Some positions take even longer.

Here is a rough breakdown:

• Application review: 2 to 4 weeks after the posting closes
• Referral to hiring manager: 1 to 3 weeks after review
• Interview scheduling: 1 to 4 weeks after referral
• Tentative offer: 1 to 2 weeks after interview
• Background check and onboarding: 2 to 6 weeks after tentative offer

We wrote a full breakdown of every step in the VA hiring process timeline with real timelines and what to expect at each stage.

The biggest thing to know: do not apply once and stop. Apply to every position that fits. Federal hiring is a numbers game, and the VA posts new positions every week. Set up your USAJobs saved search and apply to every match.

Do Veterans Get Preference at VA Hospitals?

Yes. Veterans preference applies to all Title 5 positions at the VA. That includes admin, IT, police, logistics, and most non-clinical roles.

For Title 38 positions (nurses, doctors), veterans preference works differently. Title 38 clinical roles use their own qualification standards. The hiring process is separate from the GS competitive system. Veterans still get considered, but the preference point system does not apply the same way.

Here is how preference breaks down for Title 5 VA jobs:

• 5-point preference (TP): Active duty service during a covered conflict period. No disability required.
• 10-point preference (CP/CPS): Service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher.
• 10-point preference (XP): Purple Heart recipients, compensably disabled veterans.

These points get added after the category rating process ranks your application. You still need a strong resume to land in the Best Qualified category. Preference points help you within your category, but they will not move a Qualified applicant into Best Qualified.

The VA also participates in the Veterans Employment Program Office (VEPO), which tracks veteran hiring across the department. The VA has set internal goals to hire veterans at rates above the government-wide average. So the culture at VA hospitals tends to be veteran-friendly during hiring.

What Makes VA Hospital Jobs Different from Other Federal Jobs?

Working at a VA hospital is not the same as working at the IRS or the Forest Service. The patient population is veterans. The mission connects directly to your service. That changes the work culture in ways that matter.

Here are four real differences:

Mission alignment: You are serving the people you served with. Many VA employees say this is the most meaningful work they have done since leaving the military. You understand the patients because you were one of them.

Shift work is common: Hospitals run 24/7. Clinical and support roles often require rotating shifts, weekends, and holidays. This is familiar to veterans, but it is worth knowing before you apply.

Union representation: Many VA hospital positions are covered by AFGE (American Federation of Government Employees). This affects how promotions, discipline, and work conditions are handled. You will learn the basics during orientation.

Growth paths are clear: VA hospitals promote from within. A Medical Support Assistant at GS-5 can move to GS-6 and GS-7 through time in grade and performance. An IT Specialist at GS-9 can target GS-11 and GS-12 within a few years. The pay progression is mapped out and predictable.

If you are coming from a contractor role or the private sector, the benefits package alone makes VA hospital jobs worth looking at. Federal health insurance (FEHB), pension (FERS), Thrift Savings Plan matching, and paid leave add up fast.

What to Do Next

You know the types of VA hospital jobs available. You know how Title 38 and Title 5 work. You know which hiring authorities give you an edge. Now it is time to act on it.

Start here:

1. Pick your target role. Use the GS series list above or run your MOS through BMR's crosswalk tool to find matching VA job series.
2. Set up a USAJobs saved search. Filter by Veterans Health Administration + your location + your target series.
3. Build a federal resume that matches each posting. Do not send the same resume to every job. Tailor it. Pull keywords from each announcement and rewrite your bullets to match.
4. Gather your preference documents. DD-214 (Member 4 copy), SF-15, and VA disability letter if applicable. Upload them to your USAJobs profile now so they are ready.
5. Apply to every match. Do not wait for the perfect job. Apply broadly. Federal hiring is a volume game.

BMR's Federal Resume Builder was built for exactly this. Paste the job announcement and get a resume tailored to that specific posting. It handles the keyword matching, the formatting, and the military-to-federal translation. Free for your first two resumes.