The Department of Veterans Affairs fired more than 1,000 employees on Thursday.
According to a release announcing the layoffs, those fired included non-bargaining unit probationary employees who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment or who have worked less than two years in an excepted service appointment.
The dismissals are effective immediately and were communicated directly to each employee. The VA said the personnel moves will save more than $98 million annually. That money will be redirected back to health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries.
“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.”
VA said the dismissals 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 said it is refocusing on its core mission: providing the best possible care and benefits to veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.
The firings drew the ire of Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
“It is reprehensible to fire recently hired federal employees - particularly those who have chosen to serve veterans - solely because they have less due process rights and protections than other employees,” he said. “Make no mistake - Trump is looking to fire probationary employees because it is easy, not because it is good for veterans or cost-effective.”
The decision to dismiss probationary workers was felt across the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management said more than 200,000 probationary employees, around 10 percent of the federal workforce, were dismissed on Feb. 13 from departments including the U.S. Forest Service, the Energy Department and OPM.
As an additional safeguard to ensure VA benefits and services are not impacted, the first Senior Executive Service or SES-equivalent leader in a dismissed employee’s chain of command can request that the employee be exempted from removal.
More than 43,000 probationary employees can be found across VA and the vast majority of whom are exempt from the personnel actions because they serve in mission-critical positions – primarily those supporting benefits and services beneficiaries – or are covered under a collective bargaining agreement.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.