CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — Although it’s only been a month since the Trump Administration took over the White House, there have been mass layoffs, including at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
According to press releases published by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), more than 2,400 employees have been dismissed since Feb. 13. 1,400 of them were fired on Monday, according to the VA.
Those dismissed include non-bargaining unit probationary employees who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment or who have served less than two years in an excepted service appointment.
VA positions considered non-mission critical include DEI-related positions, among other roles.
There are currently nearly 40,000 probationary employees across the department, the vast majority of which serve mission-critical positions.
In the press release, the VA states the layoffs are part of a “government-wide Trump Administration effort to make agencies more efficient, effective, and responsive to the American people.” Those publications further claim the layoffs will save $181 million annually, which will be redirected towards healthcare, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.
We wanted to know how many of those involved in the VA layoffs are employed in Ohio, more specifically, in Northeast Ohio. We are also trying to figure out if any services at the VA will be impacted and how many of those fired are veterans.
We sent our list of questions to the federal level of the VA. Our inquiry was then handed off to the Northeast Ohio sector of the VA, where a spokesperson said they could not comment.
“Knowing that even the media can't get answers, how does that make you feel?,” I asked Gulf War veteran and Veterans Assurance Network Founder Tim Hauser.
“Makes me very upset because I tried to get answers myself and I'm a veteran that uses that facility on almost a daily basis and if I can't get answers from the people I'm supposed to trust, how am I supposed to feel? I'm very angry,” Hauser responded.
Hauser was discharged from the Air Force in 1992. He later found out he was diagnosed with a terminal lung illness that requires him to carry an oxygen pack with him everywhere he goes.
Hauser said without the VA’s support, he wouldn’t be able to afford to breathe.
“We probably would have lost everything. I'm rated 100% service connected through the VA, so we don't have to pay for it,” Hauser explained.
But he fears with the recent VA layoffs, the fate of his benefits and services may eventually cease to exist.
“It's not just a company that's laying off people because of a little financial crisis they might have or business might have slowed down for them. This is affecting services for Americans all across the country,” Hauser noted.
While the VA won’t confirm the impact of the layoffs in Ohio, a Cleveland VA employee who wishes to remain anonymous emailed us with information.
They said two psychometrists at the Cleveland VA were fired by email at approximately 4:22 p.m. on Monday.
“Their supervisors did not know they were going to be fired. They were probationary employees,” they wrote.
Psychometrists facilitate psychological testing and can treat patients with various cognitive or mental health issues. Those employees often conduct testing for neuropsychology, helping to provide clarification on neurological disorders for veterans and to identify areas of cognitive impairment.
“The staff fired had patients scheduled the next day. This is a direct impact to veteran healthcare and needs to be spread. [Elon] Musk and others act as though critical roles are not being cut within the VA but that is not the case,” they said.
Hauser alleged he had noticed a difference in staffing numbers at the Cleveland VA when there for appointments.
The anonymous Cleveland VA employee claims to know others in the research sector of the VA who have been swept up in the wave of layoffs. They alleged both the Ann Arbor VA and Chillicothe VA had recently dismissed employees.
“They work so hard to care for our veterans and it is devastating what is happening. Amazing providers are talking about quitting because they can’t picture working under this administration anymore,” they shared.
Hauser said it’s disheartening to see the VA not protect their employees, especially those who are veterans.
“When I first got out of the military back in '92, I felt lost. I felt confused, so I can only imagine what these veterans are going through a second time of being turned away by their own government,” Hauser said. “I'm afraid they're going to try to get rid of the VA altogether.”
Hauser said if the VA were to dissolve, he would need to look for private insurance, which comes with a laundry list of expenses his family simply can’t afford.
He’s also fearful for what the mass layoffs might mean for the future of the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which expands and extends eligibility for VA health care for Veterans with toxic exposures and Veterans of the Vietnam era, Gulf War era, and Post-9/11 era.
“That's at stake now,” Hauser said. “It's frustrating. I'm beyond words on how I feel about it because we worked so hard to get PACT Act passed.”
Hauser said he’s disappointed in VA Secretary Doug Collins, who has said in a press release, “These and other recent personnel decisions are extraordinarily difficult, but VA is focused on allocating its resources to help as many Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors as possible.”
Collins has also noted VA healthcare, benefits, and beneficiaries will not be hurt but that veterans will “notice a change for the better.”
Hauser stated, “He needs to publicly come and state and explain why he didn't protect his employees while other agencies are. He's a veteran. He actually serves in the reserves, and he turned his back on them and fired them. He needs to explain to the country why he fired 2,400 individuals from the VA knowing that is going to hurt services for veterans when he just claimed that services and benefits are not going to be touched.”
In the meantime, Hauser encouraged all veterans to log into or create an account with the VA to download their medical records in case things go south. He also wants veterans to know his organization, Veterans Assurance Network, is available to help with resources.
We’ll continue to follow through as this story develops.
If you recently lost your job at Veterans Affairs in Northeast Ohio due to the recent cutbacks, please email Kaylee.Olivas@WEWS.com.
