I Work at the VA. These Cuts Will Cost Lives
I’ve seen what keeps veterans alive — and these cuts will take it away.
Submitted by a 50501 Chicago member.
By Pat Reyat
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Last month, Trump-appointed Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins testified in a Senate hearing about the future of the VA — and lied through his teeth. His biggest lie, which he’s repeating to the media, is that his planned cut of 80,000 VA employees hurt patient care.
“We’ve been emphatic that we won’t be cutting benefits and health care – only improving them.”
But how can a 15% reduction in staff possibly improve healthcare for over 9 million Veterans served by the VA?
I work for the VA and can tell you firsthand that there is not a surplus of employees lounging around. Hiring here takes months — slowed by deep background checks and a maze of other HR processes. Since Trump’s federal hiring freeze went into effect on day one of his second term, our facility has been severely short-staffed. While some positions are exempt, we’re only allowed to hire one person for every four who leave and we can hold one just new employee orientation each month.
I am a vocational rehabilitation counselor. I help veterans with disabilities prepare for and maintain employment. Right now the voc rehab unit is operating with half the number of counselors we need. Most of the veterans in our program have a psychiatric diagnosis. Many are unhoused, temporarily sheltered by the VA for about six months while they receive care and prepare to live independently.
One of my first patients served in the infantry in Afghanistan. He arrived broken — slumped in my office, on the verge of giving up. “I just want someone to give me a chance,” he’d say, often through tears. One day, he told me he’d been thinking about shooting himself. For his safety, I escorted him to the walk-in mental health clinic. But he kept showing up. He kept trying.
Months later, he appeared at my office unannounced, wearing his new work uniform. He stood tall in the doorway, head high, chest out. This time, I was the one crying.
I’ve met veterans so traumatized they could barely speak and months later I’ve seen those same people deliver inspiring speeches to their peers. I’ve seen them go from unhoused and hopeless to proud VA employees working alongside me to fulfill
President Lincoln’s promise: “To care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”
Senator Cory Booker put it plainly during his record-breaking filibuster:
“One of the best things you can do for a Veteran is give them a job.”
He’s right. Employed veterans face a lower risk of death from suicide, overdose, and other causes. But when staff is slashed, caseloads balloon. Veterans get less time with counselors. Fewer opportunities. More risk.
Secretary Doug Collins says he cares about veteran homelessness and suicide, while planning to cut 15% of the VA’s workforce. Veterans hold 30% of those positions. That means 24,000 veterans will lose their jobs. And we know that financial hardship, unemployment, and housing instability all raise suicide risk.
These mass terminations across federal agencies are stalled, awaiting the judgement of the crooked and inhumane Supreme Court.
Let’s be real; these cuts won’t “refocus” the VA. They’ll dismantle it and veterans will pay the price.
Here’s what you can do:
Call your reps: Find scripts and numbers at 5calls.org
Support federal workers: Share this resource guide or connect them with local mutual aid.
Back veteran orgs: Volunteer with or donate to DAV, IAVA, the Road Home Program or the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
Write a letter to the editor: Let your local paper know what’s at stake.
Join us at 50501 Chicago: Use your voice, your skills, your time. This fight needs all of us.