US EditionLawmaker warns government ‘savings’ could cost vets critical services
- The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a series of layoffs, targeting medical and health care support staff, administrative roles, and contract positions, with the first round beginning in July and a second in September.
- President Trump ordered mass layoffs across the federal government in February, prompting agency heads to submit proposals to the Office of Management and Budget, with the VA aiming to return to 2019 staffing levels.
- The VA's layoff plan includes scaling back Veterans Integrated Service Networks and potentially impacting medical appointment schedulers, billing specialists, and human resources personnel, while also aiming to fix major problems at the agency through recommendations from employees and senior executives.
- Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins acknowledged the layoff plan, including a goal to lay off 80,000 VA employees, but VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz stressed that no final decisions have been made, while Secretary Collins also stated that DOGE does not have access to Veterans' personal records.
- Democrats, including Senator Richard Blumenthal, have criticized the planned layoffs as 'heartless and dangerous' and are planning shadow hearings on VA cuts, while veterans advocates express concerns about the potential impact on timely care and benefits, especially for disabled and elderly veterans who rely on call centers for scheduling appointments and arranging medical care.
22 Articles
22 Articles
‘Heartless and Dangerous’: Slashing of VA call centers part of aggressive layoff plan
The call centers that America’s military veterans rely on to schedule appointments and arrange medical care may no longer have a live voice on the other end of the line because the agents who handle the calls are set to be laid off, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans for cutbacks at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
‘This country made them a promise:' Residents protest cuts to VA outside courthouse - Albert Lea Tribune
Veterans and concerned citizens on Thursday rallied outside of the Freeborn County Government Center to protest staff cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. This came in response to the VA facing a cut of 83,000 staff which would result in cuts to veterans health care, forcing them to face longer waits and poor care, according to a press release. According to Mary Hinnenkamp, a member of the Freeborn County DFL and one of the organizers of…
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