https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/03/va-plans-lay-many-83000-employees-year/403477/
VA will soon kick off a departmentwide review of its mission, organization and structure, according to the memo, which was obtained by Government Executive. It will work in partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency to create a workforce optimization plan, VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek said in the document. Syrek said VA will "move aggressively" to implement its plans that reduce management and bureaucracy, cut the department's footprint and "increase workforce efficiency."



elon is the greatest
this would never get done without him

More money for veteran benefits, less money for bureaucrats.

They'll still have 400k employees

482k staff?? What!

username does not check out

Of all the things our government does, this is one of the most important for us to get right. We have to take care of our Veterans. The VA needs to be gutted of the bureaucracies and staffed with the best healthcare administrators and workers we can find. The stories of what many who sacrificed so much have to endure is disgusting.

10andBOUNCE said:

---

482k staff?? What!

---

they also have 170 med centers and 1193 clinics

trump got the ball rolling to close some of those and it was recommended that 30 med centers and 172 clinics close and then uniparty killed it

10andBOUNCE said:

---

482k staff?? What!

---

They added 83k+ since Biden took office! 18% increase!

biden hired 61000 in 2023 alone

Almost none of those 83,000 employees are "client-facing" employees. These are the backoffice bull**** employees that have pushed unbelievable amounts of cultural appreciation, trans-veteran lived experience oral history conferences, woman veterans' support groups, and just every inane victimhood program under the sun. These are the scolds that police the hallways of VA clinics to urge employees and volunteers to wear rainbow flag lapel pins and to tell you why you stars and stripes teucker cap makes some other veterans feel "unsafe." I can just fine without these VA employees. The VA should focus more on services and less on affairs.

---

10andBOUNCE said:

---

482k staff?? What!

---

damiond said:

they also have 170 med centers and 1193 clinics

trump got the ball rolling to close some of those and it was recommended that 30 med centers and 172 clinics close and then uniparty killed it

---

Close them all. Transfer all patients to private hospitals/clinics near hometown, with lifetime credit card for payment. Establish an office in DoD to approve/monitor/coordinate/reimburse private hospital/clinic healthcare for qualified veterans.

Move the VA loan mission and GI Bill education mission to Department of Treasury.

Then shutdown the agency.

I have a DD214.

Remember several years ago when it was discovered many of these VA facilities had purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars of art work? Money that does nothing for vets. I'd be willing to bet nothing has changed on that front.

damiond said:

---

biden hired 61000 in 2023 alone

---

So basically all the jobs Biden "created" were ones that his admin hired for VA, IRS and other agencies along with the businesses that reopened after the Covid lockdowns. What a complete sham his entire presidency was.

400k employees? How many retired military vets are there?

---

damiond said:

---

biden hired 61000 in 2023 alone

---

Prosperdick said:

So basically all the jobs Biden "created" were ones that his admin hired for VA, IRS and other agencies along with the businesses that reopened after the Covid lockdowns. What a complete sham his entire presidency was.

---

Yes. Numerous economics folks on X pointed that out. Most of the jobs created under Biden were government jobs.

AggieGunslinger said:

---

400k employees? How many retired military vets are there?

---

15.8 million

Neighbor just had shoulder surgery and the VA didn't approve PT for 6 weeks making one of the most painful recoveries even more painful.

The VA needs to be gutted and started from scratch. Needs to rely more on private care than government

I just retired from implementing supply chain management systems for the health care industry...we have been closing in on a deal with VA for over a year. (things run at a snails pace with those guys).

We zeroed in on their Rube Goldbergarian business processes, and identified an entire VA team that could be eliminated with our systems. A colleague brought it up during a call expecting to get a huge attaboy - and it was received like a wet fart at a funeral. Firing people was not to be discussed...i thought it was a hopeless situation.

Thanks Elon. I never thought it would happen.

Sid Farkas said:

---

I just retired from implementing supply chain management systems for the health care industry...we have been closing in on a deal with VA for over a year. (things run at a snails pace with those guys).

We zeroed in on their Rube Goldbergarian business processes, and identified an entire VA team that could be eliminated with our systems. A colleague brought it up during a call expecting to get a huge attaboy - and it was received like a wet fart at a funeral. Firing people was not to be discussed...i thought it was a hopeless situation.

Thanks Elon. I never thought it would happen.

---

Working on a project with the VA for a new $30M facility.

We issued the Architectural/Engineering Bid documents in June 2024. The VA sat on them for 5-months before sending them out for bid. They gave the contractors 3-months to bid them. It will be finally awarded in June 2025. They cost themselves at least $1M in escalation. Just to be clear, I don't think it's the employees we were working with that sat on things because they were lazy. It's just the 'process' they have to go thru to bid and award construction contracts. It's insane.

They also have mandates for hiring veteran owned small business and disabled veteran owned small businesses. While on the surface you'd think it's good to send some of that healthcare work to a vet, there are just not enough good Vet owned business that can lead and handle the size and scope of some of their larger projects. It just costs them more money in the long run.

JobSecurity said:

---

They'll still have 400k employees

---

Of that, how many H1B visa holders and other people who shouldn't be here? Get rid of them first.

---

---

+ 1 more quotes (click to expand)

damiond said:

---

biden hired 61000 in 2023 alone

---

Prosperdick said:

So basically all the jobs Biden "created" were ones that his admin hired for VA, IRS and other agencies along with the businesses that reopened after the Covid lockdowns. What a complete sham his entire presidency was.

---

Logos Stick said:

Yes. Numerous economics folks in X pointed that out. Most of the jobs created under Biden were government jobs.

---

So, it's possible that all the jobs DOGE is taking a chainsaw to, can just be created again when a Democrat gets in the White House again?

If that's the case, and each president from the other side plays ping pong with job creation and slashing, I can't see how that's good for the economy in the long run.

The people getting fired are the people who don't smile when I wear this to my VA appointments.

---

Sid Farkas said:

---

I just retired from implementing supply chain management systems for the health care industry...we have been closing in on a deal with VA for over a year. (things run at a snails pace with those guys).

We zeroed in on their Rube Goldbergarian business processes, and identified an entire VA team that could be eliminated with our systems. A colleague brought it up during a call expecting to get a huge attaboy - and it was received like a wet fart at a funeral. Firing people was not to be discussed...i thought it was a hopeless situation.

Thanks Elon. I never thought it would happen.

---

agracer said:

Working on a project with the VA for a new $30M facility.

We issued the Architectural/Engineering Bid documents in June 2024. The VA sat on them for 5-months before sending them out for bid. They gave the contractors 3-months to bid them. It will be finally awarded in June 2025. They cost themselves at least $1M in escalation. Just to be clear, I don't think it's the employees we were working with that sat on things because they were lazy. It's just the 'process' they have to go thru to bid and award construction contracts. It's insane.

They also have mandates for hiring veteran owned small business and disabled veteran owned small businesses. While on the surface you'd think it's good to send some of that healthcare work to a vet, there are just not enough good Vet owned business that can lead and handle the size and scope of some of their larger projects. It just costs them more money in the long run.

---

I used to play the in rhe DoD construction sandbox. It was amazing the games played with set-aside work for HUBs and small businesses. Saw cases where John Smith construction, even though the most qualified, couldn't be hired. So they hired PFC Juan Sanchez who then hired JS Construction. Saw two other projects where two Native American companies hired each other, and then hired John Smith Construction. The NA rep sat in the job trailer, sometimes, just to sign pay apps and cash checks.

We fixed the keg said:

---

Of all the things our government does, this is one of the most important for us to get right. We have to take care of our Veterans. The VA needs to be gutted of the bureaucracies and staffed with the best healthcare administrators and workers we can find. The stories of what many who sacrificed so much have to endure is disgusting.

---

Working for the government changes people. Even "the best" will turn into leaching slobs.

---

10andBOUNCE said:

---

482k staff?? What!

---

Logos Stick said:

They added 83k+ since Biden took office! 18% increase!

---

Best administration ever at creating jobs. Whether they were needed or not.

---

10andBOUNCE said:

---

482k staff?? What!

---

Logos Stick said:

They added 83k+ since Biden took office! 18% increase!

---

That explains all Biden's rosy job creation reports.

No, they made up the job numbers as the job numbers were off by 1M

Ulysses90 said:

---

Almost none of those 83,000 employees are "client-facing" employees. These are the backoffice bull**** employees that have pushed unbelievable amounts of cultural appreciation, trans-veteran lived experience oral history conferences, woman veterans' support groups, and just every inane victimhood program under the sun. These are the scolds that police the hallways of VA clinics to urge employees and volunteers to wear rainbow flag lapel pins and to tell you why you stars and stripes teucker cap makes some other veterans feel "unsafe." I can just fine without these VA employees. The VA should focus more on services and less on affairs.

---

Yep. It's just like education. Need fewer administrators and more nurses and therapists serving the veterans.

A couple of decades ago, Sen. Phil Gramm proposed doing away with VA facilities. He said that we could tell veterans "Go to any doctor you want and send us a bill for payment" and that would save money and cut response times. He was pilloried, ridiculed and attacked, and obviously the proposal was unsuccessful. Not sure how the economics have changed after medical hyperinflation, but it's worth taking a look while there's a bit of momentum.

---

Sid Farkas said:

---

I just retired from implementing supply chain management systems for the health care industry...we have been closing in on a deal with VA for over a year. (things run at a snails pace with those guys).

We zeroed in on their Rube Goldbergarian business processes, and identified an entire VA team that could be eliminated with our systems. A colleague brought it up during a call expecting to get a huge attaboy - and it was received like a wet fart at a funeral. Firing people was not to be discussed...i thought it was a hopeless situation.

Thanks Elon. I never thought it would happen.

---

agracer said:

Working on a project with the VA for a new $30M facility.

We issued the Architectural/Engineering Bid documents in June 2024. The VA sat on them for 5-months before sending them out for bid. They gave the contractors 3-months to bid them. It will be finally awarded in June 2025. They cost themselves at least $1M in escalation. Just to be clear, I don't think it's the employees we were working with that sat on things because they were lazy. It's just the 'process' they have to go thru to bid and award construction contracts. It's insane.

They also have mandates for hiring veteran owned small business and disabled veteran owned small businesses. While on the surface you'd think it's good to send some of that healthcare work to a vet, there are just not enough good Vet owned business that can lead and handle the size and scope of some of their larger projects. It just costs them more money in the long run.

---

Just wait until actual construction begins. That will be a $100MM facility by the time change orders, delays and whatever else kicks in.

A buddy of mine had a short stint during his Army career as a PM for a huge medical facility that was being built on Ft. Bliss. That hospital was over a year behind schedule and was going to be around $1billion total cost when you account for original costs plus delays - all because the bureacracy of the feds moves so slow that often times by the time a CO was approved, the contractor had withdrawn their pricing because it was no longer valid or in some cases the timeline was so long technology and codes had changed.

He was more than happy to bail out of that fiasco and get sent on a 3rd tour flying helos into combat zones.

Part of the problem with the VA is that they are so antiquated that I think they still have places and programs that aren't using computers, or if they are they are the equivalent of an Apple 100 or whatever. The technology is archaic to the point that cuneiform tablets would probably be an upgrade to some degree.

That's typical government - zero incentive for innovation. Zero incentive to trim the fact. In fact, you get punished for coming in under your budget so the opposite effect happens - you go over your budget as much as possible to justify the need for more money next fiscal year.

There is an old saying - "those that cannot do, teach". Well, government is a case of "those that cannot make it in the private sector, government".