Department of Veterans Affairs (Photo: AP)
The VA announced this week that it will reduce its workforce by approximately 30,000 positions by the end of the current fiscal year, a significant decrease from the 80,000 job cuts it originally planned. The department now says it will rely on voluntary retirements, resignations, and hiring freezes to meet its staffing goals, avoiding the need for mass layoffs.
Nearly 17,000 employees have departed since January 1 through a combination of early retirement offers, deferred resignations, and what the department is calling “normal attrition.” VA officials expect another 12,000 to leave by the end of September. The updated plan will bring the VA workforce from around 484,000 to approximately 455,000 by the start of fiscal year 2026.
VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement that the department’s decision followed a four-month holistic review of its structure and services. The goal, he said, is to improve efficiency and better serve Veterans without compromising care or benefits.
“VA is headed in the right direction in terms of both staff levels and customer service,” Collins said. “A departmentwide reduction in force is off the table, but we are not done improving VA.”
The original proposal, revealed earlier this year in an internal memo, raised alarms across the Veteran community. The plan would have returned the agency to staffing levels prior to passage of the PACT Act, which expanded care for Veterans exposed to toxic substances during service. Tens of thousands of new employees were hired under the Biden administration to handle the spike in medical and benefits claims.
The American Legion expressed support for the revised plan. National Commander James LaCoursiere said the organization appreciates the VA’s more measured path forward, emphasizing that fiscal management and streamlining should never come at the cost of Veterans’ access to care. LaCoursiere commended VA leadership for conducting the assessment in a deliberate manner. The Legion’s top priority remains ensuring that Veterans continue to receive the high-quality and cost-effective health care they have earned.
While VA leadership insists that care will not be affected, critics are warning that the cuts still carry risks. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, accused the administration of creating a toxic work environment and said that losing 30,000 workers in a year is far from routine.
“This is not natural attrition. It is not strategic. It will inevitably impact Veterans’ care and benefits, no matter what blanket assurances the Secretary offers,” Blumenthal said. He added that the department has not been transparent about which positions are being lost or how the changes will affect operations.
The VA said most frontline medical positions were exempt from the federal hiring freeze. The department is also exploring ways to consolidate administrative tasks, centralize operations, and streamline some of the 274 call centers currently in use.
Officials stated no further major staffing changes are planned and promised that oversight and service delivery will remain priorities as the agency navigates the transition.
Author: Rikki Almanza
Rikki is a Web Content Coordinator for the American Legion, Department of California. With a deep-rooted family connection to the military, Rikki is committed to using her skills and knowledge to provide valuable assistance and resources to servicemembers and veterans.
