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VSOs, lawmakers warn mass VA staffing cuts and contract cancellations risk veteran care
Summary
At a joint House and Senate Veterans Affairs hearing, veterans service organizations and members of Congress raised alarms about recent VA workforce reductions, disputed contract cancellations and the potential effect on claims processing, the veterans crisis line and direct care.
At a joint House and Senate Veterans Affairs hearing, veterans service organizations (VSOs) and lawmakers said rapid personnel reductions, a hiring freeze and high‑profile contract cancellations at the Department of Veterans Affairs threaten veteran access to care and benefits.
Representative Takano, the House Veterans’ Affairs ranking member, told the committee, “We learned on Monday that VA indiscriminately fired an additional 1,400 employees. That means we have lost more than 2,400 VA employees just in the last 2 weeks,” a tally several witnesses and members later described as worsening an already strained workforce.
The concern centers on whether the changes—fired employees, a hiring freeze and the secretary’s publicized contract terminations—will slow claims adjudication, reduce crisis‑line capacity and diminish clinical and administrative support inside VA facilities. Senator Blumenthal and other members said they have compiled lists of canceled contracts that they say provided direct services to veterans; in…
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