The Department of Veterans Affairs has revised its workforce reduction plan, announcing on Monday that it aims to cut nearly 30,000 jobs by the end of September, a significant decrease from its previous goal of over 80,000 job cuts.
This shift marks an abandonment of the earlier plan to terminate tens of thousands of workers as part of a broader initiative to streamline the federal bureaucracy initiated during the Trump administration.
The new target will reduce the department's workforce from approximately 484,000 to about 455,000, with nearly 17,000 employees having already departed.
Rather than resorting to mass layoffs, the department plans to implement job reductions through early retirement offers, severance payments, and what it describes as “normal attrition,” which includes the natural turnover of employees who resign or transition to other positions each year.
A departmentwide reduction in force (R.I.F.) has been ruled out, according to Doug Collins, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, who expressed confidence that the department is moving in a positive direction regarding staffing levels and customer service.
In its commitment to maintain service levels, the department reiterated that job cuts would not negatively impact its operations, citing "multiple safeguards in place" to avoid disruptions.
Following a law signed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr., which significantly increased veterans' benefits, the department experienced a historic hiring surge. On Monday, it also reported progress in reducing a backlog of benefits claims that had surged during the Biden administration.
In addition to its core mission of providing healthcare to military veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs manages medical research and oversees various veterans benefits programs, including pensions, banking, home loans, insurance, job training, and educational funding.