Department of Veterans Affairs requiring all medical staff to get vaccinated

Washington — The Department of Veterans Affairs is requiring all medical personnel to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the first federal agency-wide mandate of its kind. The requirement comes as the highly contagious Delta variant sweeps the nation and accounts for the vast majority of COVID cases. 

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced Monday he will make all health care personnel — including dentists, registered nurses, physician assistants, chiropractors and many others — who work in Veterans Health Administration facilities, visit those facilities, or provide direct care to VA patients to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Employees will have eight weeks to get vaccinated.  "We're mandating vaccines for Title 38 employees because it's the best way to keep Veterans safe, especially as the Delta variant spreads across the country," McDonough said. "Whenever a Veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19. With this mandate, we can once again make — and keep — that fundamental promise."