Veteran Affairs drastically reduces layoff plan, will instead terminate just 30k employees

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) on Monday announced it was abandoning its plan to reduce its workforce by 80K and will instead aim at eliminating nearly 30k jobs after backlash from lawmakers and veterans.

Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins unveiled his plan in March, claiming that eliminating the jobs would make his department more efficient and would not impact "healthcare or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries." 

The department said it would now be reducing the workforce by nearly 30,000 by the end of fiscal year 2025, which includes the 17,000 employees that have already been laid off because of a federal hiring freeze, multiple deferred resignations and retirements. 

The department expects another 12,000 layoffs to take place for the same reasons before Sept. 30, 2025, bringing the total to just under 30,000.

“Since March, we’ve been conducting a holistic review of the department centered on reducing bureaucracy and improving services to Veterans,” Collins said in a statement. “As a result of our efforts, VA is headed in the right direction — both in terms of staff levels and customer service. 

"A department-wide RIF is off the table, but that doesn’t mean we’re done improving VA," he continued. "Our review has resulted in a host of new ideas for better serving Veterans that we will continue to pursue.”

The reforms include restructuring and centralizing the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration, and modernizing a central call center that unites the VA's 274 individual call centers to streamline services for veterans.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.