Federal Hiring Freeze

[Sanman]

I’m looking forward to the RFAs for “preventing measles and understanding its consequences on human health” in the years ahead.

You know measles is from poor diet, right ?!

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[ForensicPsychFightClub]

You know measles is from poor diet, right ?!

Exactly. Drink some raw milk and eat a whole uncooked onion for a cure, friend.

Luckily we’ll have a lot of nutritious disease-curing produce in the government wellness camps staffed by all the unmedicated people with ADHD.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

The dominos are starting to fall in regard to funding disruptions….UMass Biosciences just rescinded ALL grad offers for this grad year.

 

[quickpsych]

They gave up that one protester who's now had his green card revoked and essentially been disappeared. What more does the government want from them?

Seeing as the government, at least at the federal level in the executive branch, has been hijacked by people who are actively trying to dismantle the government and install loyalists to push ideologies and agendas using Trump as their useful idiot....well they want to dismantle education because an educated populace is a threat to their goals. They also paint colleges as places where "leftist radicals" thrive and protest; and a protesting population is a less controlled population. They want indoctrination not critical thinking or research.

You ask what more do they want? They want Columbia to fall in line or go bankrupt.

 

[quickpsych]

The dominos are starting to fall in regard to funding disruptions….UMass Biosciences just rescinded ALL grad offers for this grad year.

Do these schools not have lawyers or...? Wouldn't most of these funds already have been approved at least for the current calendar year?

 

[quickpsych]

I mean, I'm one of those that will benefit greatly from a financial perspective.

Are you so sure about that? Unless you're a millionaire or billionaire ? I'm not being sarcastic, just curious how you figure you'll benefit "greatly"?

 

[WisNeuro]

Are you so sure about that? Unless you're a millionaire or billionaire ? I'm not being sarcastic, just curious how you figure you'll benefit "greatly"?

The extension of the tax cuts are beneficial to my income bracket. I also wouldn't be surprised if there are some bones in there for some of my investment vehicles and s-corp tax structure.

 

[quickpsych]

The extension of the tax cuts are beneficial to my income bracket. I also wouldn't be surprised if there are some bones in there for some of my investment vehicles and s-corp tax structure.

Thanks for the insight. Honestly though will this offset potential losses in revenue and income for your services ? Given the proposed cuts on Medicare/medicaid as well as the possibility that a recession occurs and reduces spending on your services?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Thanks for the insight. Honestly though will this offset potential losses in revenue and income for your services ? Given the proposed cuts on Medicare/medicaid as well as the possibility that a recession occurs and reduces spending on your services?

Unless he sees a high % of medicare patients, I think he (& others including myself) shouldn't be too badly impacted by a downturn in the economy. As for the tax benefits, they could be a net positive, especially if there are S-Corp benefits. For my practice, I only see workers comp cases, but the majority of my revenue comes from expert work and some side legal and niche consulting work. Generalists will likely have different challenges, but at least for most neuropsychs, we don't take commercial insurance, and a portion to a large portion of our revenue comes from legal work, which will continue to exist and might even go up with a downturn in the economy. I run a small boutique practice where I prioritize flexibility and less hours, but I still hope to be in a position to take advantage of at least some of those tax breaks.

 

[WisNeuro]

Thanks for the insight. Honestly though will this offset potential losses in revenue and income for your services ? Given the proposed cuts on Medicare/medicaid as well as the possibility that a recession occurs and reduces spending on your services?

The majority of my revenue is non-clinical. I am busier than ever, and even with a slight downturn, I'll likely be just fine. I have to turn work down constantly.

 

[R. Matey]

The majority of my revenue is non-clinical. I am busier than ever, and even with a slight downturn, I'll likely be just fine. I have to turn work down constantly.

It's still weird to me that medicolegal work is considered "non-clinical" when your skills as a clinician are what is being called upon.

 

[WisNeuro]

It's still weird to me that medicolegal work is considered "non-clinical" when your skills as a clinician are what is being called upon.

Yeah, definitely overlapping skillset. But, treated much differently from a legal and billing standpoint.

 

[R. Matey]

Yeah, definitely overlapping skillset. But, treated much differently from a legal and billing standpoint.

Oh, I believe it: further evidence of lawyer-land's divorce from reality.

 

[PsyDr]

It's still weird to me that medicolegal work is considered "non-clinical" when your skills as a clinician are what is being called upon.

They love to demand that you cancel clinic to attend legal proceedings. Then they love to say you don't do enough clinical work.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

It's still weird to me that medicolegal work is considered "non-clinical" when your skills as a clinician are what is being called upon.

I attended a forensic-oriented talk in which one of the (psychologist) presenters said exactly this.

 

[smalltownpsych]

They love to demand that you cancel clinic to attend legal proceedings. Then they love to say you don't do enough clinical work.

So long as I get paid 600 an hour for every minute I’m away from the office, I’m willing to do that. Also, so glad I don’t work for them anymore. Always hated them and the things they say.

 

[WisNeuro]

Eh, for the most part, I've had pretty good interactions with the legal sources who have hired me. And, I have never rescheduled a clinical patient for legal work.

 

[Ollie123]

Several grants at our center just got terminated today😕 Unclear if the university will offer bridge funding or the staff/students will simply be let go (or have hours cut). I think there are at least 4-5 more potentially on the chopping block, its not remotely clear to me what order they are going on.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Several grants at our center just got terminated today😕 Unclear if the university will offer bridge funding or the staff/students will simply be let go (or have hours cut). I think there are at least 4-5 more potentially on the chopping block, its not remotely clear to me what order they are going on.

That’s awful! Do you know what topics/mechanisms?

 

[Ollie123]

Topics impacted so far are - not surprisingly - in the LGBTQ+ health space. Span several different institutes (NCI, NIDA, NIMHD) and mechanisms (R01, R21, supplements, even internal grants that come via federal dollars). We have at least one other grant in that space I'm aware of that hasn't (yet) been terminated, but we assume it is just a matter of time. The other grants we think "could" be targeted are on topics like the health effects of racism, tailored interventions for specific minority populations, etc. Across the board, we're seeing fewer (but not zero?) termination of awards in those areas.

 

[The Cinnabon]

Topics impacted so far are - not surprisingly - in the LGBTQ+ health space. Span several different institutes (NCI, NIDA, NIMHD) and mechanisms (R01, R21, supplements, even internal grants that come via federal dollars). We have at least one other grant in that space I'm aware of that hasn't (yet) been terminated, but we assume it is just a matter of time. The other grants we think "could" be targeted are on topics like the health effects of racism, tailored interventions for specific minority populations, etc. Across the board, we're seeing fewer (but not zero?) termination of awards in those areas.

Surely this move will make that homophobic dude on my block see a reduction in his grocery bill.

 

[Ollie123]

*sigh*

‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs

In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.

www.nature.com

 

[tr]

*sigh*

‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs

In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.

www.nature.com

Surprise, surprise. COVID denialist guts NIAID. In other news, fork found in kitchen 😡 😡 😡

Edit: Good Lord, look at this gem:

"At least some directors were offered reassignments to the Indian Health Service, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides medical care to Indigenous people living in the United States. (The HHS is the parent agency of the NIH.) “HHS proposes to reassign you as part of a broader effort to strengthen the Department and more effectively promote the health of the American people,” reads an e-mail to the directors that Nature has obtained. “This underserved community deserves the highest quality of service, and HHS needs individuals like you to deliver that service,” it says, offering reassignment to locations such as Alaska, Montana and Oklahoma."

NIH Institute directors are being sent to the Gulag. Guess someone has been taking notes at Putin's elbow.

 

[Sanman]

*sigh*

‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs

In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.

www.nature.com

This is the worst kind of April Fool's joke.

 

[NP112]

Is the federal hiring freeze still being implemented for VA psychologists? If not, are the starting salaries still matching the published GS step guidelines? I heard that a few years ago they were in so desperate need for psychologists that it was common to negotiate a higher salary.

 

[PsyDr]

Surprise, surprise. COVID denialist guts NIAID. In other news, fork found in kitchen 😡 😡 😡

Edit: Good Lord, look at this gem:

"At least some directors were offered reassignments to the Indian Health Service, a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides medical care to Indigenous people living in the United States. (The HHS is the parent agency of the NIH.) “HHS proposes to reassign you as part of a broader effort to strengthen the Department and more effectively promote the health of the American people,” reads an e-mail to the directors that Nature has obtained. “This underserved community deserves the highest quality of service, and HHS needs individuals like you to deliver that service,” it says, offering reassignment to locations such as Alaska, Montana and Oklahoma."

NIH Institute directors are being sent to the Gulag. Guess someone has been taking notes at Putin's elbow.

Mcgirt v Oklahoma is a weird gem in this light. “Do you want the HHS, or do you want the state of Oklahoma?”.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Damn, these proposed program cuts are brutal (and likely literally deadly, lbr): New: A 64-page HHS restructuring proposal outlines sweeping cuts to US public health.

 

[psy.d. 2021]

Damn, these proposed program cuts are brutal (and likely literally deadly, lbr): https://substack-post-media.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/post-files/161488894/aeb694ea-31c0-4f46-b083-721500448910.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUM3FPD6BT46T2YYH/20250420/us-east-1/s3/aws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250420T155007Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=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&X-Amz-Signature=1d8e53db245d3ab48ce0d0e1323c9a0ee2414a4e8971cbaf34d99532ab1be61f&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment; filename="Hhs_Reorganization_Proposal_Draft.pdf"&x-id=GetObject

Broken link

 

[futureapppsy2]

Broken link

Fixed!

 

[MAClinician]

Are they eliminating funding for Head Start?? I’m so confused

 

[WisNeuro]

Are they eliminating funding for Head Start?? I’m so confused

Who knows, but at least one proposal document would make it appear that is the plan.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Are they eliminating funding for Head Start?? I’m so confused

According to the linked document, yes, they want to. Also, they plan on eliminating most of the Administration on Community Living (including seemingly all of NIDILRR), a lot of HRSA, most NIH ICs, and a lot of SAMHSA programs, including Assertive Community Treatment.

 

[PsySeeker]

I despise this timeline and this administration. Disgusting.