A northwest suburban member of Congress is demanding answers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on its plan to eliminate thousands of job vacancies at VA hospitals nationwide, including more than 600 at Chicago-area care centers.Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins on Thursday expressing “serious concern” after the Sun-Times reported 400 open positions would be eliminated at Chicago’s Jesse Brown VA along with 200 at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago.“In many VA facilities, vacancies reflect persistent hiring challenges in a tight health care labor market — not a lack of need,” wrote Krishnamoorthi, who’s running for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Dick Durbin. “From the perspective of veterans awaiting appointments, delayed procedures, or mental health services, an unfilled position often represents care that has not yet arrived, not care that is no longer required.“Absent a clear, facility-by-facility explanation for how eliminating these positions will improve care delivery, I am concerned that this decision could lock in staffing shortages, limit future capacity and prolong wait times for veterans in Illinois and nationwide,” he wrote. “From the perspective of veterans awaiting appointments, delayed procedures, or mental health services, an unfilled position often represents care that has not yet arrived, not care that is no longer required,” U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said in a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file VA officials say most of the 25,000 unfilled positions being cut nationwide are pandemic-era roles that…
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