The Veterans Affairs Department is planning to lay off tens of thousands of employees throughout its organization later this year, according to an internal memorandum distributed to top staff on Tuesday.
VA will soon kick off a departmentwide review of its mission, organization and structure, according to the memo, which was obtained by Government Executive. It will work in partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency to create a workforce optimization plan, VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek said in the document. Syrek said VA will “move aggressively” to implement its plans that reduce management and bureaucracy, cut the department’s footprint and “increase workforce efficiency.”
The forthcoming reductions in force, Syrek said, will “resize and tailor the workforce to the mission and revised structure.”
More than one-in-four VA employees are veterans.
The memo follows two executive orders President Trump issued calling for agencies to reshape their workforces and develop RIF and reorganization plans. VA has largely exempted its workforce from the governmentwide hiring freeze and fired a relatively small proportion of its probationary employees, leaving some question as to whether the department would have to lay off employees at all.
VA staffed up significantly under the Biden administration, including a record-setting year in fiscal 2023 when the Veterans Health Administration alone hired 61,000 new employees. Both VHA and the Veterans Benefits Administration has been staffing up to accommodate the flood of veterans newly eligible for care and benefits under the PACT Act, though hiring slowed in fiscal 2024.
The forthcoming cuts will be sweeping and spare no part of the department, Syrek said. He set an initial target of VA’s staffing level in fiscal 2019, or 399,000 workers. VA currently employs 482,000 staff—and 459,000 full-time workers—meaning VA plans to slash its workforce by upwards of 83,000 individuals.
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said VA’s plan was not just dangerous but an “outright betrayal of veterans.” He noted that VA had to grow its workforce to meet new demands.
“Gutting VA’s staffing to pre-PACT Act levels will cripple the very system that millions of veterans rely on, denying them access to lifesaving health care, claims processing, and education benefits they’ve earned,” Takano said.
Gutting VA’s staffing to pre-PACT Act levels will cripple the very system that millions of veterans rely on.
— Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif.
Gutting VA’s staffing to pre-PACT Act levels will cripple the very system that millions of veterans rely on.
VA will hold an “information gathering” meeting on its reorganization and RIF efforts next week and, per Trump administration guidance, will deliver full plans to the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget by April 14.
The department will review the plans from individual components in May and release its reorganization plan in June. VA will stand up an implementation team—the Reorganization Implementation Cell—made of human resources and operations, security and preparedness staff, though most administrations and offices will have high-level staff participating.
“VA liaisons to DOGE will be integrated into VA RIC operations ensuring positive and continuous communications with the administration through all phases of the operation,” Syrek said.
VA Secretary Doug Collins will chair an initial meeting Wednesday to spearhead the reorganization and workforce reduction efforts. He or a designee will lead the department’s executive review group as the plans move forward.
The Trump administration has faced significant pushback from Democratic lawmakers and veteran service organizations over its inclusion of both VA and veterans across government in its recent firing efforts. Alina Habba, a White House advisor, came under fire on Tuesday after she said the administration will care for veterans “in the right way, but perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment.”
If VA is also looking to reduce its footprint, it will likely run into significant resistance. The Biden administration put forward a plan in 2022 that would have closed or consolidated more than 200 VA facilities, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers spiked the effort.
Takano said VA’s reorganization and workforce plans will “create chaos across every aspect of VA,” including by delaying benefits, straining claims processing, and making it nearly impossible for student veterans to get the assistance they need. He vowed that he and his colleagues will fight back on the proposals.
“The American people and Congress will not stand by while VA is hollowed out, leaving veterans to suffer the consequences,” Takano said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Takano’s counterpart in the Senate, said the plan indicated the Trump administration planned to push for more privatized care for veterans and would risk rolling back the progress made under the PACT Act.
“It’s a shameful betrayal, and veterans will pay the price for their unforgivable corruption, incompetence, and immorality.” Blumenthal said.
link
