Department of Veterans Affairs Abandons Plan to Lay Off 80 Thousand
The Department of Veterans Affairs has abandoned its plan to conduct a major staff reduction. It announced a press release, stating that the agency has been “considering a department-wide RIF to reduce staff levels by up to 15%” of what the VA terms “employee reductions” via a federal hiring freeze and “normal attrition.” The VA says this has “eliminated the need” for a Reduction In Force.
Through attrition, retirements, the federal hiring freeze, and other typical staffing changes, the VA claims it can eliminate 30,000 jobs.
A reduction in force was a controversial option on the table for a time as the Department of Veterans Affairs struggled to appease White House demands for “efficiency” and for the elimination of employee protections considered “woke”. According to a CNN report, the VA at one point intended to fire as many as 80 thousand workers while claiming to put veteran needs first.
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“Multiple Safeguards”
The Department of Veterans Affairs claims it has “multiple safeguards in place to ensure these staff reductions do not impact Veteran care or benefits”, bragging of its track record in “processing record numbers of disability claims” while at the same time fending off criticism for the VA’s handling of “clawbacks” where the VA garnishes veteran benefits in cases where the VA mistakenly made overpayments.
In recent years, the VA has also weathered negative press for the botched rollout of MHS Genesis, a replacement VA medical records system which, according to the Dayton Daily News, has left users less than satisfied in the wake of a problematic start.
“In 2022, the DOD began surveying users of MHS Genesis. “User satisfaction rates have improved over the past two years, but these rates are still lower than the rates for DOD’s old health records systems,” according to the Government Accountability Office or GAO.
According to the Dayton Daily News report from April 26, 2024, Carol Harris, director of the GAO’s Information Technology and Cybersecurity team, complained, “It doesn’t seem like the DOD is very interested about how accepting the users are of the system,” Harris said. “Because I think for the DOD it’s really about that command-and-control culture. They’re very hierarchical.”
No VA Reduction In Force?
At press time, the Department of Veterans Affairs claims it is committed to an RIF-free future.
“Since March, we’ve been conducting a holistic review of the department centered on reducing bureaucracy and improving services to Veterans,” according to the VA Secretary. “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. Our review has resulted in a host of new ideas for better serving Veterans that we will continue to pursue.”
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Future VA initiatives may address the other side of the VA benefits spectrum: burial benefits. According to a VA press release, “Today, the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration all run duplicative and costly administrative functions” claiming some of these may be ”centralized or restructured so they can each focus on their core missions of health care, benefits and burial services, respectively.”
VA.gov states the agency is “reviewing the centralization of support functions to streamline operations and improve support to Veterans, including areas such as police, procurement, construction, IT, budgeting and others.”
VA Workforce Adjustments: What You Need to Know
Is the VA reducing its staff?
Yes, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to reduce its total staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of fiscal year 2025.
How will the VA cut so many jobs?
The VA will achieve this reduction mainly through normal attrition, meaning people leaving due to retirement or other reasons. They also offer voluntary early retirements and deferred resignations. These methods allow staff to leave willingly.
Does this mean the VA will have big layoffs?
No, the VA has stated it will not conduct a Reduction in Force (RIF). This approach avoids widespread, involuntary layoffs.
Did the VA consider other options for staff cuts?
Yes, earlier discussions looked at potentially cutting up to 80,000 jobs. The VA even hired the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to help if they had to do mass layoffs. However, the current plan moved away from that.
How much has the VA’s staff already changed?
Since January 1, 2025, the VA has already seen a reduction of about 17,000 employees. This brings their total staff from roughly 484,000 down to about 467,000.
How many more staff reductions does the VA expect?
The VA expects another 12,000 employees to leave through voluntary programs and normal attrition by September 30, 2025. This will bring the total number of reductions to nearly 30,000.
Will these changes affect veteran services?
VA leaders assure that these staff reductions will not negatively impact veteran care or benefits. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins confirms a “department-wide RIF is off the table.”
What types of jobs are being reduced?
The VA focuses on streamlining “duplicative and costly administrative functions.” This means they are consolidating support services and centralizing call centers. Mission-critical positions, such as those directly involved in healthcare, remain largely protected from these reductions.
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About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
