Updated at 1:13 p.m.
DANVILLE — As someone who comes from a family of veterans, Chris Huffman says she has always wanted to give back to those who served. She’s been doing administrative work at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Danville for nearly two years.
When she was fired in February — one of thousands terminated by the Trump administration — she was two months of short finishing her probationary period. Her dismissal left her devastated and unsure of what to do next.
“If I were to get cut now, they would owe me nothing,” said Huffman. “If I get cut as a regular employee, non-probationary employee, I would at least be considered a displaced federal worker.”
Because she was still a probationary employee, she wouldn’t qualify for severance pay. She was also set to lose her health insurance which she relied on to treat a heart condition.
This month, Huffman was one of more than a thousand probationary workers with the VA to be reinstated.
In an emailed statement, Jennifer Sheehan-Wells, acting public affairs officer for the VA Illiana Health Care System facility in Danville, said the facility is following the requirements of the court order.
“[The] VA is complying with the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland’s March 13 temporary restraining order and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s March 13 preliminary injunction related to probationary employees. We cannot comment further due to pending litigation,” she wrote.
Huffman said she was grateful to come back to her dream job, but she doesn’t expect it to last for long.
“It’s still laced with uncertainty,” Huffman said.
She said the VA facility in Danville expects up to a fifth of its workforce could be cut by the end of their fiscal year in September.
Huffman added that makes it hard to have a feeling of job security — especially when she doesn’t know exactly how many workers will be fired and who will be targeted.
“It’s all up in the air, which is frustrating,” Huffman said. “I like to have, you know, certain control over my life and what I do, but this is kind of out of my control right now.”
This story has been updated to include a statement from a spokesperson for the VA Illiana Health Care System facility in Danville.