VA dismisses more than 1,000 employees

Mission-critical positions are exempt from the reductions, which will enable VA to redirect over $98 million annually to health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees.

Those dismissed today 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.

The personnel moves will save the department more than $98 million per year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.

There are currently more than 43,000 probationary employees across the department, the vast majority of whom are exempt from today’s personnel actions because they serve in mission-critical positions – primarily those supporting benefits and services for VA beneficiaries – or are covered under a collective bargaining agreement. VA employees who elected to participate in the Office of Personnel Management’s deferred resignation program are also exempt from today’s personnel actions.

The dismissals are effective immediately and have been communicated directly to each employee. As an additional safeguard to ensure VA benefits and services are not impacted, the first Senior Executive Service (SES) or SES-equivalent leader in a dismissed employee’s chain of command can request that the employee be exempted from removal.

The dismissals announced today are part of a government-wide Trump Administration effort to make agencies more efficient, effective and responsive to the American People.  To that end, VA is refocusing on its core mission: providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.

“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care. We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”

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