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IHS invites retired workers back to help respond to COVID-19 in Indian Country

by Lisa Gyorda, Director, Office of Human Resources, Indian Health Service

Are you a retired IHS worker interested in re-joining the IHS team to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Indian Country?

Earlier in 2020, the Office of Personnel Management approved a request to waive a section of federal law that pertains to retired workers, making it easier for the IHS to rehire health care and non-health care workers who can assist in strengthening the collective response during COVID-19. High need disciplines include:

  • Physicians and physician assistants
  • Dentists
  • Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Medical laboratory scientists
  • Behavioral health clinicians
  • Engineers

Re-employed annuitants will receive Civil Service Retirement System or Federal Employee Retirement System annuity, in addition to a full salary as a federal employee. The waiver is in effect until April 15, 2021.

If you are interested, please reach out to the IHS recruiter for your specific area of interest. Contact information is available at https://www.ihs.gov/careeropps/contactrecruiter/.

The IHS continues to work closely with our tribal and urban Indian organization partners, as well as state and local public health officials, to coordinate a comprehensive public health response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For more on the federal response in Indian Country, visit https://www.ihs.gov/coronavirus/.

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Lisa Gyorda, Director, Office of Human Resources, Indian Health Service
Lisa Gyorda, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is the director of the IHS Office of Human Resources. Ms. Gyorda joined the IHS in 2012 and in 2016 she became the director for the newly established Office of Human Resources at IHS headquarters, where she was instrumental in creating and launching the HR structure for the organization, and also provided leadership and technical oversight to the five regional HR offices.