Exclusive: New Executive Order Offers Federal Workers Pay to Resign, Raising Concerns for Topeka’s VA and Healthcare System
In an unprecedented move, the new administration has sent an email to all full-time federal employees, except those in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the military, and the U.S. Postal Service, offering them a choice: resign by February 6th via email and receive eight months of pay—while continuing to accrue vacation and sick time—or remain employed under new conditions. While the administration has framed the offer as a way to encourage workers to seek “more productive work,” the potential impact on essential services in Topeka and beyond is raising alarms.
Impact on Topeka’s VA and Healthcare System
Topeka is home to a major regional Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, an institution that has long struggled with staffing shortages. Many departments are already stretched thin, and several, according to internal sources, rely heavily on telehealth employees who are now being required to return to the office. This mandate poses a significant challenge, as some telehealth employees live between 30 and 500 miles away from Topeka and, in many cases, do not even have a designated office to return to.
Several telehealth employees we spoke with on the condition of anonymity stated that the requirement to return to the office is a de facto termination for them. These workers, including care coordinators responsible for scheduling and overseeing medical care for thousands of veterans in the region, have operated remotely for years with efficiency and effectiveness. If even a fraction of them choose to resign rather than relocate, veterans in and around Topeka could see their healthcare services severely disrupted.
The timing is particularly troubling given that the city’s two regional trauma centers are already chronically on diversion due to staffing shortages. If the VA hospital loses even 10 to 20 percent of its workforce, the strain on these already overwhelmed hospitals could become catastrophic.
City Leaders React
We reached out to Topeka’s new Deputy Mayor, Brett Kell, who also works at the VA, to gauge the city’s response. Kell downplayed concerns over mass resignations, stating that the VA workforce is “bloated” and could afford to lose some employees without impacting operations. However, he acknowledged that some departments are “running on labor fumes” and could not afford to lose even one employee, particularly specialists such as VA optometrists. Regarding the telehealth staff and care coordinators, Kell believes they are capable of returning to the office, though he concedes that many may not want to. His assessment, however, stands in stark contrast to the concerns expressed by the many employees we spoke with.
Despite the potential fallout, Kell indicated that the City of Topeka is not making any preparations to address the issue, as he does not view it as a significant concern.
Federal Workers’ Union Pushes Back
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 9, which represents many of the affected employees, has advised its members not to respond to the resignation email. The union has also filed a lawsuit against the administration, arguing that the executive order illegally exceeds the president’s authority by attempting to bypass long-standing protections for civil servants.
In a statement, AFGE National President Everett Kelley condemned the administration’s actions:
“AFGE is filing suit with our partner union today to protect the integrity of the American people’s government. Together, we can stop the efforts to fire hundreds of thousands of experienced, hard-working Americans who have dedicated their careers to serving their country and prevent these career civil servants from being replaced with unqualified political flunkies loyal to the president, but not the law or Constitution.”
A Tenuous Future for Veterans and Healthcare Workers
The full impact of this executive order remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Topeka’s VA and broader healthcare system are already operating under considerable strain. If a significant number of workers accept the resignation offer, it could set off a chain reaction of understaffing, delayed care, and an overburdened local hospital system.
As the February 6th deadline approaches, federal employees are faced with a difficult choice—one that could reshape the future of government services in Topeka and beyond. The administration has yet to release further details on how they plan to mitigate the potential fallout from this sweeping decision. Meanwhile, veterans, hospital administrators, and workers across the country are left wondering: what happens next?
