The impact of the current governmental changes on the VA is a topic that is argued on the floors of Congress daily. Recent actions and proposed changes have sparked significant concern and controversy, particularly regarding workforce reductions and potential alterations to Veterans’ healthcare. Without resorting to hyperbole, Veterans are currently experiencing unprecedented times.
Workforce reductions at the VA are of key concern, with a proposed reduction of 86,000 employees, which would relegate VA staffing numbers to those in 2019. This is alarming given the staff shortages that VA medical centers were already experiencing prior to any of these proposed cuts occurring. This reduction in the VA workforce will further hamper the VA’s ability to provide timely and adequate healthcare to Veterans and will likely result in further delays in the development and adjudication of claims and appeals from the Veterans’ Benefits Administration. Because many VA employees are themselves Veterans, the direct impact on Veteran employees with significant health concerns and those experiencing homelessness is particularly acute. The loss of employment for these Veterans will have a direct impact on their already compromised position and will add further strain on a system that was already ill equipped to support the Veteran population.
The impact on Veteran healthcare services caused by these employee reductions will be longer wait times for Veterans seeking medical care. During his first term, President Trump pushed for more Veterans to be treated through community care programs to reduce the operating costs for VA medical centers. A reduction in the workforce at VA medical facilities to community care programs will create challenges to keep pace with Veterans’ healthcare demands. This will undoubtedly cause further problems in maintaining the continuity of medical care for Veterans as well as challenges with documentation and integration of the Veterans’ medical records. The complications in documentation will result from the challenges of incorporating records from the referral network that community providers use for specialty care as opposed to all specialty care and medical records being a part of a single system within the VA medical centers.
Congressional lawmakers have responded to these changes with proposed legislation aimed at protecting Veterans from the effects of these cuts, however, there is clear division in Congress as to what the best approach for managing the reduced VA workforce will look like. With the implementation of these employee reductions at the VA, in an effort to streamline operations and reduce spending, we believe the impact will be directly felt by the Veterans that the VA is obligated to serve.
As these efforts to reduce the VA workforce move forward, Veteran demographics are changing, and the PACT Act has expanded the number of Veterans eligible for care. Simply put, the number of Veterans requiring medical care and treatment is increasing, while the number of VA staff is dramatically decreasing. Veterans will be confronted with longer wait times for care or potentially limiting or eliminating access to care for some Veterans. While we are uncertain what the VA will look like with these workforce reductions, we certainly know that the impact of these changes will be felt directly by the Veterans that the VA is dutifully obligated to serve.
Please know that these proposed workforce reductions have not changed the eligibility of Veterans for benefits related to the injuries and medical conditions that they sustained in service. If you have conditions that you believe are related to your service, Gustad Law Group encourages you to apply for those benefits and if these claims are denied, we stand ready to serve you in the appeal of your claims.
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