Overview

• The VA will use a federal hiring freeze, deferred resignations, retirements and normal attrition to reduce its workforce by nearly 30,000 positions by September 30.
• Attrition has already lowered staff from about 484,000 in January to 467,000 by June, with nearly 12,000 more exits expected before fiscal year end.
• Secretary Doug Collins assured that all mission-critical roles are exempt to safeguard uninterrupted veteran health care and benefits processing.
• Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Mark Takano warn that such deep staff declines risk backlogs and delays in vital services for veterans.
• The shift comes after bipartisan opposition, veteran protests and legal challenges prompted the agency to seek alternative staffing reductions.