40,000 People Who Treated Veterans
The VA lost more than 40,000 employees in fiscal 2025. 88% came from the Veterans Health Administration, the system that directly provides medical care to 9 million veterans. The losses included 3,000 registered nurses, 1,000 physicians, 700 social workers, 1,100 custodians, and nearly 2,000 claims processors.
3,000 nurses. 1,000 physicians. 700 social workers. Gone from the VA in one year.
These were not bureaucrats. They were the people who drew blood, set broken bones, processed PTSD claims, and cleaned the rooms where veterans recovered from surgery. Senator Blumenthal’s report described “dedicated professionals with decades of expertise fleeing” and recruitment collapsing because of “toxic work conditions and draconian cuts.”
27 Days to 127
The VA’s medical center in Omaha saw neurology appointment wait times jump from 27 days to 127 days. In Dallas, they went from 87 to 130. Across the system, only 7% of facilities met the goal of getting veterans a neurology appointment within 28 days.
Mental health appointment wait times for new patients now average 35 days. In 15 states, waits exceed 40 days, twice the VA’s own standard. Veterans in Maryland wait an average of 54 days for a first mental health appointment.
The White House claimed it cut wait times, but an independent study found the picture was “more complicated.” The agency measured wait times differently than in previous years, making direct comparisons misleading.
The Pattern
The VA workforce reduction is part of a broader dismantling. 17 inspectors general were fired in one night. The SSA lost 7,500 employees in a year, a 60-year staffing low. The CFPB was gutted from 1,700 to 200. 260,000 federal workers were fired across all agencies while federal spending rose 6%.
The VA is the largest healthcare system in the country. It serves 9 million veterans. Cutting 40,000 employees from that system does not make it more efficient. It makes veterans wait 127 days to see a neurologist.
Read more on the Federal Agencies hub and the DOGE brief.