Lawmakers prod agencies to address veterinarian shortage

Certain federal agencies should begin meeting regularly to develop a plan to address a severe shortage of veterinarians responsible for food safety and protecting the nation against animal diseases, leaders of a Senate subcommittee said on Thursday.

At a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on the federal workforce, Chairman Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, and ranking member George Voinovich, R-Ohio, expressed concern over a new report by the Government Accountability Office that found the majority of the 24 component agencies that employ veterinarians are not doing enough to address the lack of personnel, an issue that could hamper efforts to prevent and respond to disease or pandemic outbreaks. "This may be one of the biggest crises we have in the federal government," Voinovich said.

Lisa Shames, GAO's director of national resources and environment, said the problem is likely to become more pronounced as a large number of federal veterinarians become eligible to retire in the near future. As the shortage worsens, she added, agencies that pay veterinarians higher salaries are likely to gain a recruitment advantage. Base salaries for veterinarians vary widely across the federal government, from less than $70,000 at the National Park Service to about $122,000 at the Homeland Security Department's Office of Health Affairs, Shames said.

While the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo on Feb. 12 to allow all agencies to use direct-hire authority for veterinary medical officers hired at the General Schedule 11 through 15 grade levels, Voinovich questioned whether more should be done to help agencies address the deficiency. He outlined plans to introduce legislation to offer scholarships to students in exchange for a government service commitment.

Gerald Parker, principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Health and Human Services Department, touted the Army's recruiting and hiring model that offers scholarships to veterinary students and the opportunity to earn an advanced degree and leadership training upon employment with the Army.

Akaka and Voinovich recommended that OPM and the 24 agencies that employ veterinarians begin meeting regularly to devise a strategy to tackle their workforce challenges. The lawmakers said they would ask OPM and the agencies in six months to return to the subcommittee for another hearing to discuss the plan.

Nancy Kichak, OPM's associate director for strategic human resources policy said OPM will hold a forum on March 15 of the component agencies to discuss a strategy. OPM also has approached the Agriculture Department about making veterinarians a featured position on the USAJobs Web site, and is in the process of creating a streamlined job announcement for veterinarians, she added.

"We recognize, however, that solving a problem like the veterinarian shortage is necessarily a shared responsibility," Kichak said, "because those who work at the sites where services are delivered are most often in the best position to identify effective remedies."