Posted on 03/05/2025 2:49:18 PM PST by tkocur
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs will slash more than 80,000 jobs under a major restructuring plan that the agency intends to carry out by August to meet President Donald Trump’s executive order for downsizing the federal government, according to an internal VA memo.
The memo sent Tuesday by VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek directed agency leaders to work with the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce and reorganize the VA to “achieve efficiencies dictated” by Trump’s Feb. 13 order for decreasing the federal workforce. The memo became public after it was leaked to several media outlets.
Addressed to “undersecretaries, assistant secretaries and other key officials,” the memo calls for returning VA’s staff to 2019 levels, when the agency employed 399,000 workers. A hiring surge has nearly doubled that number today.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
ha ha suckers, should’ve never work for the feds
Undersecretaries and assistant secretaries are key officials? Not denigrating what any kind of secretary does, but have never heard them being called key officials, or any kind of official, before.
That sounds like an awful lot.
Until you find out he’s trying to get it to “old” levels of 400,000!!!!
There was some other department where he cut 7500...I thought “My God, he fired almost everyone!”
It was about 8 percent of the workers in that dept! I can’t remember which dept but I remember thinking “they can’t have more than 15000 or so workers, he’s firing half, wow and good”
Nope, only about 8 percent.
This was INSANE...the number of fed workers we had.
Such waste.
wonder how many of these didn’t reply to the email.
Hopefully they’ll lay off the idiot who left not one, but two sutures in me from my last visit. (In different spots, removing shrapnel that had become problematic.)
I just went to my private doc to get the missed sutures removed and just paid cash. (Blue Cross won’t pay for something the VA is supposed to do. My doc refused to charge me, despite having to cut in because skin had grown over.)
This is one place I wouldn’t cut back.
Cost savings should go straight to Veteran housing and mental health. Ignore the judge who undoubtedly will say no.
“This is one place I wouldn’t cut back..”
Just letting go all the Biden bing hires.
It’s full of waste and overstaffed in the beauracracy. Most are not doctors and providers.
Fire No. Virginia and turn the state red again.
Makes sense since they’re totally useless anyway.
Had a VERA appointment yesterday at 12:30. Guy actually called on time but useless. I knew more than he did about my case. I asked why no one called on the last VERA scheduled for 10:30 on Jan 30th but instead called on the 31st at 9:30..a day late and an hour early? Then left a message saying I was a no show. He had no answer.
I stated on average the time from requesting a BVA hearing under the supposed new AMA is approximately 730days yet the two I had requested were 1507 days and 1389 days respectfully. He had no answer. I said it’s been 6 months since the 90 day evidence window closed after the BVA hearing and still no word. He had no answer and couldn’t tell me anything about the case(s).
Totally worthless individual.
“ This is one place I wouldn’t cut back.”
Why?
The VA is a labyrinth of sub agencies full of bureaucrats you must navigate until you actually get any assistance. I personally believe this is on purpose to hire a bunch of DIE and make it harder for vets to get aid.
They all need to go and the process needs streamlined.
“Ignore the judge who undoubtedly will say no.”
************
This is becoming a major problem for the republic. Everything seems to be subject to a a judge’s approval in some blue precincts. So what we have now is blatant judge shopping resulting in unchecked judicial overreach, often accompanied by conflicts of interest.
Like many Freepers, I’m a vet who has dealt with the VA many times managing disability claims. I have no problem with the VA reducing its workforce, as long as they simultaneously find a way to improve service levels. My current claim, for an Agent Orange cancer, is 155 days old. While I expect the claim to be approved, five months and counting seems like a long time. Let’s hope new efficiencies come with any proposed VA job cuts.
Under secretaries and assistant secretaries in government typically assist higher-ranking officials and manage specific areas within a department. In the United States, an Under Secretary is a high-level civilian official who assists a specific Cabinet Secretary and is appointed by the President with Senate consent.
They often manage extensive portfolios within a Cabinet Department and are Level III positions within the Executive Schedule, ranking below Deputy Secretaries and above Assistant Secretaries.
As always, the title or the institution does not guarantee worthiness.
Because someone is a veteran, does not automatically make them irreproachable , McCain comes to mind Kelly as well.
Because someone works in the VA does not mean the job is needed.
Problem is the govt has become an employment agency first, efficiency and effectiveness last
Let’s wait and see what jobs are being cut
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