Veteran Jammie Mosser said he felt "cast aside like trash" when he was fired without warning in February from his position at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center. But on Wednesday, Mosser was rehired.
That's after two judges ordered the Trump administration to reinstate fired probationary employees targeted in February's mass firings.
Mosser said he was immediately placed on paid administrative leave when he was reinstated. And he fears there’s another mass firing on the horizon.
“I don't have any confidence that I will ever really be called back to perform my job, which I feel strongly about and needs to be done," Mosser said.
"I want to continue to serve the veterans by doing the job I was originally hired to do.”
VA Secretary Doug Collins has said the agency still plans to cut more than 70,000 jobs. And Mosser said no one at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center wants that.
"They know that the VA in Battle Creek needs me. They need my motivation, my dedication, my skill set, my experience, whatever, they want me there," Mosser said.
“But their hands are kind of tied. They're still just realistically pawns in the game as well.”
He said he's still committed to serving veterans like himself, and will do so despite the uncertainty of his position. But recent actions by federal leaders have left him disillusioned.
"I did not serve in the military for over 33 years, serving along folks that that did not make it home, putting myself out there in in danger to have an unelected official or a tech bro billionaire from South Africa to come in and just destroy our government, our democracy," Mosser said.
Mosser said he will get back pay for the time he was gone, though no timeline was given on when he would receive this compensation.
Battle Creek VA spokesperson Brian Pegouske said the agency was complying with court orders, but could not comment because of pending litigation.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
