It marks the next step in a yearslong process to reform Postal benefits. The White House's budget request for fiscal 2025 calls for a 2% reduction in the size of the Veterans Affairs workforce next year. Even under Biden, raises have come short of what some lawmakers and federal unions have argued is appropriate. The overall case backlog is down 4,000 cases from this time last year. Some agencies take the opportunity to issue special advisories as the revelry begins. There are ways the observant can seek time off from work to celebrate. VA reached more than 400,000 staff for the first time in history last year, as it brought in more than 61,000 hires to the Veterans Health Administration. Despite the increases, fewer employees overall retired in 2023 than 2022, 2021 and 2020. The Office of Personnel Management and other official government documents call it “Washington’s Birthday,” according to law. Only about 4% of the 2.1 million-strong federal workforce took advantage of the benefit from 2020 to 2022. Load More