by Instead of reducing its workforce by over 80,000 employees, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday that it would cut about 30,000 positions by the end of September.
As part of President Trump’s comprehensive goal to reduce the federal bureaucracy, the agency essentially abandoned its prior plan to terminate tens of thousands of employees.
According to a department news release, the revised goal would reduce the workforce from 484,000 earlier this year to roughly 455,000. Already, about 17,000 workers have departed.
The remaining reductions would be achieved by providing early retirement or severance benefits in addition to what the department referred to as “normal attrition,” which is the small percentage of employees who leave or change jobs each year, rather than by terminating them.
In reference to a reduction in force, the official procedure to start mass layoffs within the agency, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins stated that a departmentwide R.I.F. is not an option. He claimed that as a result of our efforts, V.A. is moving in the correct path with regard to staffing levels and customer service.
In addition to reiterating Monday that it had several protections in place to avoid interruptions, the department, which offers healthcare to veterans of the armed forces, has previously stated that employment losses would not impact services.
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. enacted a measure that greatly extended the Veterans benefits system and caused the department to go on a recruiting binge. Following a surge under the Biden administration, the agency announced on Monday that it had continued to reduce a backlog of benefits claims.
The department’s main responsibilities include treating veterans and acting as the nation’s backup healthcare system. It also manages some medical research and oversees veterans benefits programs, including pensions, banking, home loans, insurance, job training, and college degree funding.
