Latest "VA hiring" stories
Department leaders brought in more than 54,000 new employees in 11 months, pushing worker levels to their highest mark ever.
Leaders say they still need more staff to keep up with patient demands.
Physicians can wait as long as a year to start working even after they've been hired, department officials acknowledged.
VA officials said hiring and retention levels are at record highs, but workers groups say even more staff is needed to keep up.
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