The Washington Post reported that 35,000 jobs could be impacted by the restructuring. The VHA said no health or medical center staffing will be impacted.
HAMPTON, Va. โ The Veterans Health Administration, the health care branch of the Department of Veterans Affairs, announced Monday that it would reorganize its management structure, potentially impacting the way veterans receive health care across the country.
In a release, the VA said it has briefed Congress of its intent to restructure and will officially notify Congress on Tuesday. Precise organizational and personnel changes are to be announced in early 2026 and will take place over the next 1.5-2 years.
โThe current VHA leadership structure is riddled with redundancies that slow decision making, sow confusion and create competing priorities. In other words, when everyoneโs in charge of everything, no oneโs in charge of anything,โ said VA Secretary Doug Collins. โUnder a reorganized VHA, policymakers will set policy, regional leaders will focus on implementing those policies, and clinical leaders will focus on what they do best: taking great care of Veterans.โ
Peter Kasperowicz, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, provided the following statement to 13News Now on Tuesday:
No VA employees are being removed, and this will have zero impact on Veteran care.
VA is simply eliminating about 25,000 open and unfilled positions โ mostly COVID-era roles that are no longer necessary.
All of these positions are unfilled and most have not been filled for more than a year, underscoring how they are no longer needed.
Additionally, all VA medical facilities are continuing to fill vacancies as needed.
The Washington Post reported Monday that this restructuring effort could lead to as many as 35,000 jobs cut from the VHA. They cited an internal memo, staffers at the VA and congressional aides that were not authorized to speak publicly.ย
The Post reported that most of the cuts will come from currently unfilled positions, including doctors, nurses and support staff.ย
The announcement also follows about 30,000 jobs being cut from the Department of Veterans Affairs this summer, which was a decrease from the projected 70,000-80,000 jobs.
The VHA release said several reports from the Office of the Inspector General as well as the Government Accountability Office, spanning from 2016 to March of this year, recommended a change in the VA’s organizational structure. 13News Now reported on several of those reports.
VHA said the following could be taking place:
- VHA Central Office will have responsibility for setting policy goals and conducting financial management, oversight and compliance
- Staffing and operations at VA medical centers and clinics will not be changing as part of this reorganization
- Operations Centers and Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) will take policy direction from VHAโs Central Office to develop operational, quality and performance standards that will guide VAโs more than 1,300 medical facilities
Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said “change can be a good thing” in reference to the restructuring.
“Veterans and their families gave us a clear mandate last November that business as usual is not cutting it and we must cut through the bureaucracy, remove the red tape, and push VA forward,” he said in a statement. “As Chairman that is my number one responsibility, and itโs why I am leading the Committeeโs reauthorization efforts to broadly improve VA programs โ many of which have not been properly reauthorized in 30 years.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Tim Kaine slammed the announcement, citing the Washington Post’s reporting.
“Back in March, when I sounded the alarm about staffing levels at the new VA facility in Chesapeake, VA Secretary Doug Collins called me a liar. While I donโt expect an apology, Americaโs veterans โ who will be forced to wait longer to see fewer doctors because of Collinsโ plans to axe 35,000 VA health care workers โ deserve one,” Kaine said.
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) also criticized the move, citing the Washington Post’s reporting.
“There are reports that the new Chesapeake Battlefield VA outpatient clinic in my congressional district is still woefully understaffed, and the Hampton VA continues to face staffing shortages,” Scott said. “If these reports are true, it is going to only exacerbate and worsen the problem and further hinder veteransโ ability to access the health care they were promised. The Trump Administration must reverse course for the sake of our veterans.โย
When asked about any potential impacts to Hampton VA Medical Center, the largest VA center in Hampton Roads, a spokesperson with the center provided the following statement to 13News Now:
The Hampton VA Health Care System is proud to employ 3,127 people who are dedicated to providing the best possible care and service to Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors. We are currently hiring for a number of open positions and encourage anyone who may be interested in a VA career to apply here.
