The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has abandoned plans for mass layoffs but still anticipates the exit of 30,000 employees by the end of the fiscal year.
Previous downsizing goals aimed to return the agency to 2019-level staffing, prior to the Biden administration, of roughly 398,000 employees. That would represent the loss of about 70,000 jobs and a 15% overall decrease. The agency announced Monday that the new reduction goal would be done through attrition from voluntary early retirements, deferred resignations and a federal hiring freeze.
As of Jan. 1, the VA had roughly 484,000 employees. Just six months later, the number of employees had shrunk to 467,000. This reduction of nearly 17,000 employees is expected to be followed by the exit of around 12,000 additional employees by Sept. 30.
Monday’s announcement cited numerous changes made under President Donald Trump and VA Secretary Doug Collins. Collins, a longtime Trump ally and former Georgia congressman, was sworn in as the 12th secretary of Veterans Affairs earlier this year after a presidential appointment. The Trump administration touted steps to end treatment for gender dysphoria, stop more than $14 million in spending on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs as cost-cutting measures and other savings.
“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 (reduction in force) is off the table, but that doesn’t mean we’re done improving VA.”
The VA reductions come at a time of short staffing for the agency’s Georgia locations. Last month U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, pressed Collins to fill positions at Atlanta’s VA medical center to reduce long wait times affecting veterans’ care. A June Inspector’s General report found that there were 208 primary care vacancies at the Atlanta VA.
The VA officials have said reductions will not impact veteran care or benefits.
More than 350,000 positions are exempt from the federal hiring freeze and all VA mission-critical positions are exempt from the Deferred Resignation Program and Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation.
The VA has also promised additional changes to improve operational efficiency, including consolidating administrative functions such as call centers and payroll systems.
Like the SC Daily Gazette, the Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.
Amber Roldan is a senior at the University of Missouri where she is studying journalism. Originally from Kennesaw, she’s excited to be back in Georgia interning with the Georgia Recorder this summer! Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
