The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) just announced a big shake-up: a department-wide mission and structure review. Sounds promising, right? But after years of veterans stuck on hold for hours, claims piling up, and good employees bailing, I’m skeptical. The VA’s been leaning on third-party contractors instead of investing in its own people, and that’s left a lot of us wondering if this is real change or just more talk.
1. Why Now? The Timing Smells Like Politics
On July 21, 2025, VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek said they’re scrapping plans for massive layoffs—80,000 jobs were on the chopping block earlier this year. Instead, they’ll cut 30,000 jobs by year’s end through attrition and voluntary programs like the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP). That’s better, I guess. But why did it take so long to figure this out?
The truth? They only moved when the unions and Congress started raising hell. This feels less like a commitment to veterans and more like a reaction to bad press. If they really cared about fixing things, why wait until the heat was on?
2. Employees Are Leaving, and No One’s Replacing Them
Thousands of VA workers—many of them veterans themselves—took the VERA or VSIP deals and walked away with retirement benefits or payouts. That’s their choice, and I get it. But here’s the problem: who’s filling those empty desks? Nobody.
The VA’s gutted its back-office staff, call centers, HR, and IT, all in the name of “efficiency.” Efficiency for who? Not the veterans waiting forever for answers. And get this: about one in four VA employees are veterans. When they leave, we’re not just losing workers; we’re losing people who get it—their experience, their know-how, gone. Why isn’t the VA hiring or retraining to fill those gaps? It’s like they’re fine letting the ship sink as long as it looks streamlined.
3. Outsourcing Claims and Exams: A Shortcut to Nowhere
Instead of building up its own team, the VA’s been outsourcing critical stuff like claims processing and Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams to private contractors. That’s a problem.
Claims Backlogs: The VA brags about “record numbers processed,” but veterans are still waiting 40 minutes or more on hold. That’s not progress.
C&P Exams: These are often done by third-party contractors with little oversight. The system feels rigged to delay or deny claims, not help veterans get what they’re owed.
Why not train VA staff to handle these exams in-house? It would:
Save money in the long run.
Cut down on shoddy exams and fraud.
Keep veterans in one trusted system instead of bouncing them around.
Relying on outsiders means less accountability, not more. Veterans deserve better.
4. IT Woes: A Billion-Dollar Dumpster Fire
The VA’s IT systems are a disaster. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) called it a “long history of failed IT modernization”—three attempts, billions spent, and it’s still a mess. The VA’s response? Slash IT staff by nearly 12% and cross their fingers that automation magically fixes everything. That’s like firing the firefighters while the house is burning and saying, “Don’t worry, we’ve got a plan.”
5. How to Actually Fix This Mess
If the VA wants to stop spinning its wheels and start helping veterans, here’s what they need to do:
Hire and Train Staff: Stop relying on attrition. Launch a big hiring and retraining push, especially for veterans, to staff up claims processing, C&P exams, quality control, and IT. Bring back the expertise we’re losing.
Bring C&P Exams In-House: Create a dedicated VA examiner corps—salaried, trained, and accountable. Do annual audits to keep it tight. Veterans need exams they can trust, not ones driven by profit.
Fix IT with Real Oversight: Hire a Chief Information Officer (CIO) team that answers to Congress, not just the VA. Focus them on health and benefits IT, and tie funding to clear milestones, not endless timelines.
Be Transparent: Post monthly stats on call wait times, claims backlogs, exam denials, and processing times. Hold leaders accountable with real consequences, not just memos.
Listen to Veterans: Put veteran service reps in every VA center and regional office. Create an independent “VA Ombudsman” who reports straight to Congress, not the VA Secretary, to keep things honest.
Final Thoughts
A department-wide review sounds good. Cutting 30,000 jobs through attrition instead of 80,000 layoffs? Okay, fine. But if this is just another PR stunt with fewer workers and the same old problems, veterans and taxpayers are the ones who’ll pay the price.
You can’t fix a broken claims system by cutting staff and outsourcing trust. You can’t modernize IT by firing tech folks. You do it by rebuilding from the ground up—clear goals, real data, and veterans leading the way.
The VA isn’t a lost cause. It can be fixed. But right now, it’s a mess, bleeding talent, trust, and time. Either they get serious about real change, or we’re looking at another decade of broken promises and frustrated veterans. We can’t keep letting that slide.
Works Cited
Eric Katz. 2025. “VA Launches a Departmentwide ‘Review of Its Mission’ as It Seeks Changes to Its Operations.” Government Executive, July 21, 2025. https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/07/va-launches-departmentwide-review-its-mission-it-seeks-changes-its-operations/406861/.
Linda F. Hersey. 2025. “VA Needs to Overcome ‘History of Failed IT Modernization,’ Federal Watchdog Says.” Stars and Stripes, July 15, 2025. https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2025-07-15/veterans-technology-medical-records-18443763.html
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). 2025. “Veterans Affairs’ Ongoing Struggle to Modernize Its Electronic Health Record System.” GAO WatchBlog, March 18, 2025. https://www.gao.gov/blog/veterans-affairs-ongoing-struggle-modernize-its-electronic-health-record-system
Matt Bracken. 2025. “The GAO Flagged 10 ‘Critical’ Legacy IT Systems. Years Later, Most Haven’t Been Modernized.” FedScoop, July 17, 2025. https://fedscoop.com/the-gao-flagged-10-critical-legacy-it-systems-years-later-most-havent-been-modernized/
Federal News Network. 2025. “VA Shrinks IT Workforce by 12%, Redirects Tech Funding.” July 2025. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/it-modernization/2025/07/va-shrinks-it-workforce-by-12-redirects-tech-funding-to-other-priorities/
Linda F. Hersey. 2024. “Lawmakers Urge VA to Halt ‘Mega’ Tech Projects and Focus on Small Updates That Work.” Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), December 18, 2024. https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2024-news-articles/health-care-and-earned-benefits/lawmakers-urge-va-to-halt-mega-tech-projects-and-focus-on-small-updates-that-work/
Meritalk. 2025. “GAO: VA Lacks Comprehensive Plan for Appointment Scheduling Modernization.” June 2025. https://www.meritalk.com/articles/gao-va-lacks-comprehensive-plan-for-appointment-scheduling-modernization/
Wikipedia contributors. 2025. “Veterans Benefits Administration.” Wikipedia, Last modified July 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Benefits_Administration