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Since 1999, I’ve relied on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a disabled veteran. The support I’ve received has been invaluable during various hardships, including a ruptured ovarian cyst and severe migraines that disrupted my daily life. Most significantly, during my stroke in 2019, the VA was instrumental in managing my care, guiding my rehabilitation, and helping me regain my independence.
Unfortunately, the current administration, backed by new VA Secretary Doug Collins, plans to eliminate 83,000 jobs at the VA, reducing staffing to levels not seen since 2019. This decision poses a serious threat to the essential services that veterans like myself depend on. It’s not merely short-sighted; it’s a profound betrayal of every individual who has served this country.
The VA’s mission, reaffirmed in 2023, is to “fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.” Job cuts undermine that promise and violate the commitment owed to those who have defended our nation—services upon which countless individuals rely.
The numbers are telling. In 2021, 52% of veterans accessed at least one VA benefit or service, with 6.2 million utilizing VA healthcare. Following the PACT Act’s enactment in August 2022, nearly 740,000 new veterans enrolled for VA benefits, including over 333,000 from the PACT Act population—veterans from Vietnam, the Gulf War, and Post-9/11 conflicts. In just over two years since the PACT Act was enacted, the VA has delivered crucial healthcare and benefits to millions of veterans and survivors affected by toxic exposure.
In reality, the demand for VA healthcare is escalating at an alarming rate. This is why reverting staffing to 2019 levels would have disastrous effects. Since then, the population of veterans requiring care has grown, with more veterans aging into the system and needing specialized treatment for combat-related injuries, PTSD, and illnesses related to toxic exposure. Reducing staffing to pre-pandemic levels ignores these facts, leading to longer wait times, reduced specialized care, and potentially life-saving treatments becoming increasingly scarce. Veterans will suffer, and some may even lose their lives waiting for the care they were promised. This isn’t just a policy shift; it’s a dereliction of duty, plain and simple.
The betrayal goes even deeper. Thousands of veterans are employed by the VA, dedicated to supporting their fellow service members. These job cuts will impact not only those seeking care but also those who are committed to delivering that care. The VA was established to aid those who have sacrificed for this nation—why is this administration turning its back on us?
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My concerns extend beyond my own situation—I am especially worried about senior veterans, those with severe combat injuries, survivors of military sexual trauma (MST), and individuals battling PTSD. They will bear the brunt of this harsh decision. With alarming suicide rates among veterans—an estimated 17 veterans take their own lives each day according to a 2024 VA report—cutting vital support will only worsen this crisis, leaving our most vulnerable without the care they desperately need and deserve.
Abandoning our veterans means abandoning the core values this nation claims to uphold—duty, honor, and commitment. This issue transcends policy; it’s about real people—those who risked everything for this country, only to be neglected when they need help the most. If we allow this to happen, we are not just failing veterans; we are failing as a nation. The cost of inaction is measured in lost lives, fractured families, and a breakdown of trust between those who serve and the country they swore to protect. We cannot call ourselves a nation that supports its troops if we turn our backs on them when they are in their greatest need.
If these cuts are implemented, how many veterans will suffer? How many will be lost? It’s crucial to note that more than one-third of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD, and this figure likely underrepresents the true scope as it only includes those seeking help through the VA. Additionally, there are hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans and veterans from other conflicts battling PTSD, TBI, and MST.
We are not fighting this battle alone. Organizations like Common Defense, Indivisible, and VoteVets are leading the way, rallying veterans and allies to oppose these detrimental cuts. These groups understand that defending veterans’ rights is not merely a political issue—it’s about honoring a sacred promise to those who served. Their efforts show that we can and must take action to prevent this betrayal.
We fought for this country, and now we must fight again—not with weapons, but with our voices. It’s time to demand that the VA and the administration fulfill their obligations to us. We must call, write, and participate in town hall meetings organized by our representatives, making it clear that we will hold them accountable. We need to collaborate with advocacy groups dedicated to protecting VA resources and veterans’ rights. We cannot and will not be overlooked, forgotten, or betrayed. Because slashing VA jobs is not just a policy failure; it is a betrayal of the oath we took to serve and protect this nation.
