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Members and union warn downgrading VA police pay would worsen staffing crisis
Summary
Lawmakers, a veterans union and VA officials debated HR 8010, which would bar pay‑grade downgrades for VA police officers; VA said downgrades are paused while it consults OPM, but witnesses described acute shortages and morale problems tied to pay disparities.
Rep. Kennedy described HR 8010, the VA Police Recruitment and Retention Act of 2026, as a measure to prevent Secretary Collins and OPM reclassification from cutting officers' pay grades at a time when the department faces severe staffing shortages.
Kennedy warned downgrades could push experienced officers to other agencies and said downgrading “95% of VA police positions” would deepen security gaps. He recounted incidents—citing an example where a social worker was shot in a clinic with no on‑site officer—to underscore the safety stakes of understaffing.
Dennis Sarge Guerrero, vice president of AFGE Local 3511, testified that morale is at its lowest in his 18‑year tenure, that local starting pay for municipal police in San Antonio far exceeds VA GS‑5 pay ($41,334 at step one vs $56,000–$61,500 for local police), and that veterans working as VA police are leaving for higher pay in other agencies. Guerrero and AFGE urged statutory protections and pay improvements to retain officers.
VA witnesses said roughly 3,700 VA police officers are on board, with about 900 positions potentially impacted by reclassification. VA said it has paused downgrades while coordinating with OPM and reviewing classification standards, noting grade and pay retention policies would apply if downgrades proceed.
The committee pressed VA to produce exit‑survey data and specific steps to comply with a court order reinstating collective bargaining that members said complicates workforce morale. The exchange ended with members signaling they will seek statutory protections and oversight to prevent pay‑grade reductions that could accelerate attrition.
