Veteran groups and lawmakers raise alarm after wave of VA workforce terminations

Lawmakers and veteran service organizations pressed Department of Veterans Affairs leaders on workforce cuts and abrupt terminations during a joint House-Senate hearing, saying recent dismissals of VA employees risk disrupting care and benefits for veterans nationwide.

The hearing featured sustained criticism of the administration's personnel actions from Democrats and concern from Republicans, and testimony from Disabled American Veterans (DAV) leadership and other national veteran service organizations.

Why it matters: Witnesses and lawmakers tied the workforce changes to possible delays in claims processing, mental-health care, and community-based services. Several speakers said the abrupt nature of the terminations, hiring freezes and other personnel moves have already created fear among remaining staff and could worsen access problems created when the PACT Act expanded eligibility for benefits.

"This past month's assault on the VA workforce … will do significant and irreparable harm to the delivery of your care and benefits," Senator Richard Blumenthal said, citing what he described as another 1,400 terminations announced the night before the hearing and saying the total now stands at about 2,400 employees fired without explanation. "These men and women weren't fired because of poor performance," he said, recounting examples of…