The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced plans to conduct a full audit of its department to create a “more efficient” and “accountable” VA, and local veteran services workers agree the “house cleaning” needs to be done.
“The cuts are not scary,” said Ron Terry, a commander and veteran at the Disabled American Veterans in Cortez.
“The VA jobs that are needed are promised to stay. They’re doing house cleaning, sweeping the front rug,” he said.
In the coming months, the VA plans to cut an estimated 80,000 employees and to review its 90,000 contracts valued at more than $67 billion, cutting out “duplicative” or otherwise “wasteful” ones, according to its website.
On March 3, it announced that it cut “585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts,” saving the department about $1.8 billion.
That savings will allow the VA “to redirect about $900 million back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries,” according to its website.
“Every dollar we spend on wasteful or duplicative contracts is one less dollar we can spend on veterans,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins in a news release.
Collins promised the cuts wouldn’t adversely impact veterans, and local veterans’ officials stand behind that.
“It doesn’t scare me,” said County Veteran Service Officer Travis Parker. “I spent 25 years in the military, absolutely things could be more efficient.”
Parker is a county employee, not a VA employee. He said the layoffs will certainly impact individual lives.
“But does VA have opportunity to be more efficient? I’d assume,” he said. “I have faith it’s not going to hurt veterans.”
Parker said he’s visited with many concerned veterans who are worried that the federal cuts could impact their medical care.
“I’m not discounting their concerns, it’s just too early to set off any fire alarms,” he said. “I’m giving the benefit of doubt to Secretary Collins.”
Terry and Wes Soule, an officer and veteran at the DAV, agreed.
“If Secretary Collins stays true to his word, people in direct care to veterans won’t be terminated,” said Terry.
What’s more, “nobody here has been directly impacted,” there’s no list yet of what jobs will be cut yet and the 80,000 number is just an estimate, he said.
“It’s too early to tell whether the cuts will be good or bad,” said Terry.
“If the VA runs better than it has in the past, it’ll be 100% better,” he said. “It really can’t be worse than it’s been in the past with availability and access to care.”
“It’s unlikely the government will do away w the VA,” Soule added.
“VA health care isn’t just for vets,” Soule said. “It’s intended to be emergency community care, too. It’s part of the public health safety net.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released a video on Friday, March 7, where Secretary Collins said they’re continuing to hire for more than 300,000 “mission critical positions.”
Under President Donald Trump, Collins said, the department will be more efficient and accountable, something they’ll accomplish “without making cuts to health care or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries.”
“The VA will always fulfill its duty to provide veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the health care and benefits they have earned,” Collins said. “That’s a promise.”
