One Year of DOGE at the VA — The Numbers Are In
Veterans News Update: January 27, 2026
The Gist
40,000+ VA employees gone in one year — 88% from Veterans Health Administration
Mental health wait times now 35+ days nationally, exceeding community care threshold; some states over 50 days
Blumenthal’s “Breaking the Pact” report documents 1,000 physicians, 3,000 nurses, 700 social workers lost
Therapy sessions capped at 8-24 visits at some facilities regardless of clinical need — veterans being cut off mid-treatment
DOGE’s AI contract tool hallucinated values, canceled ~600 contracts including cancer research and foreclosure prevention
CBO budget options (means testing, ending TDIU at 67) remain proposals — NOT law, but keep resurfacing
Collins testifies tomorrow (Jan 28, 3:30 PM EST) before Senate VA Committee on VHA reorganization
One year ago, DOGE came to the VA. Secretary Doug Collins promised efficiency. No impact on care. Trimming the fat.
The Blumenthal report landed last week. The numbers tell a different story.
The Numbers After One Year
Blumenthal’s report landed January 22. The title—”Breaking the Pact”—is deliberate. It’s about breaking the promise to veterans, but it’s also about breaking the PACT Act. The 2022 toxic exposure law created the biggest expansion of VA benefits in decades. Now the staffing losses are slowing those claims to a crawl.
The report documents what many of you already know from experience:
Staffing losses:
40,000+ VA employees gone in 2025 — 88% from Veterans Health Administration
1,000 physicians lost
3,000 registered nurses lost
700 social workers lost
1,500 schedulers lost
1,500 claims examiners lost from VBA
Nearly half of VBA’s 50 Regional Office Directors quit or retired
PACT Act backlog: The loss of claims processors is hitting toxic exposure claims hardest. Veterans report longer waits on legacy claims, and requests for VA to take a second look at claims (Higher Level Reviews) jumped 44% by July—driven by errors from overworked processors forced to meet higher quotas with fewer staff.
The 1.2 million number: Lindsay Church of Minority Veterans of America estimates 1.2 million veterans have lost their VA provider since January 2025. It’s an estimate, not verified VA data—but a thousand doctors gone makes the math plausible.
Mental health wait times: National average for new patients now exceeds 35 days. That’s nearly double the 20-day threshold that should trigger community care eligibility. Some states are far worse:
Maine: 61 days
Maryland: 54 days
California (Ventura clinic): 134 days after 7 of 12 mental health providers left following return-to-office mandates
Session limits: Veterans in some regions are being limited to as few as 8 to 24 therapy sessions — regardless of clinical need — then stepped down to group therapy or discharged.
Veterans Are Speaking Out
The War Horse has documented dozens of veterans cut off from mental health care. Their words tell the story better than statistics.
Spencer McKinstry, Marine veteran with two combat deployments to Afghanistan, was told he’d reached the limit after nearly three years of therapy at his VA:
“I did my job. You said you’d take care of me for the rest of my life. The rest of my life is not 20 sessions.”
Phoebe Ervin, Army reserve veteran of the Gulf and Iraq wars, had been seeing her VA psychologist for 16 years when she was abruptly cut off:
“I feel lost. All this stuff is happening to me, [but] I have no outlet to talk to anybody.”
“They didn’t wean me off. They just said, that day, ‘That’s it. Gone.’”
Joe R., Navy veteran whose one-on-one therapy was ended after nine months at the Richmond VA, stopped taking his medication and started drinking again after seven years sober:
“It’s a bit hypocritical to say, ‘Come here, I’m here to help you and take care of you,’ and then kick you out the door because you didn’t get better on their timeline.”
These aren’t statistics. These are your brothers and sisters.
Secretary Doug Collins maintains VA services “have not been affected.” VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz called Blumenthal’s report “political theater.”
The numbers say otherwise.
The 80,000 Plan — What Actually Happened
Remember the December headlines about 80,000 planned layoffs? Here’s where that landed:
Original target: 80,000 positions eliminated
Current reality: Roughly 30,000 gone through attrition, early retirements, and deferred resignations. VA says another 26,000 VHA positions are targeted through additional attrition in 2026.
What Collins says: The cuts target “long-standing vacant positions” and “non-mission essential roles like interior designers and DEI officers.” No doctors or nurses.
What the data shows: Those staffing losses included physicians and nurses. You can’t call that “preserved.”
The hiring freeze is technically lifted as of last week — but staffing caps remain. According to Federal News Network, facility leaders are still reporting delays in hiring approvals across the board.
Mary Jean Burke, AFGE’s first executive vice president for VA, told Federal News Network that by end of 2026, most VA facilities will lose 2-5% of their psychologists. Seattle and Buffalo are on track for double-digit attrition.
DOGE’s AI Contract “Muncher” — Still Active
DOGE’s own engineer called it the “contract muncher” — their term, not ours. They treated VA contracts like a game.
ProPublica’s October investigation revealed DOGE used a flawed AI tool to flag 2,000+ VA contracts for cancellation. The tool:
Was built in one day by a software engineer with no VA or healthcare experience
Used outdated, inexpensive AI models
Hallucinated contract values — flagging 1,100 contracts as worth $34 million each when some were actually $35,000
Only analyzed the first 10,000 characters of each contract
Flagged internet connectivity services as “munchable” because they’re “multiple layers removed from direct patient care”
Nearly 600 contracts have been killed. Canceled contracts include:
A gene sequencing device for cancer treatment development
Blood sample analysis for VA research
Nursing care measurement tools
Military records retrieval for processing disability claims
A program to help veterans avoid foreclosure
Environmental testing to meet safety standards
Radiation detection for imaging equipment
VA says all decisions went through “multilevel reviews.” The engineer who built the tool acknowledged mistakes were made but said, “It’s like that ‘Office’ episode where Steve Carell drives into the lake because Google Maps says drive into the lake. Do not drive into the lake.”
Congress still hasn’t received a complete list of what was canceled.
CBO Budget Options: Still Just Options
Veterans keep asking about the CBO “budget options” — means testing, ending TDIU at 67, taxing disability payments. Here’s the current status:
These are NOT law. None have been enacted.
The options remain on CBO’s website as deficit reduction proposals. They include:
Means testing at $135K household income (CBO 60915) — Would reduce or eliminate compensation for veterans with household income above threshold. Projected savings: $253 billion over 10 years.
30% minimum rating requirement (CBO 60918) — Would eliminate compensation for veterans rated 10% or 20%. About 20% of veterans currently have ratings below 30%.
30% reduction at age 67 (CBO 60917) — Would cut benefits by 30% when veterans who start receiving compensation in 2026 or later reach retirement age.
End TDIU at age 67 (CBO 60916) — Would stop Individual Unemployability payments at Social Security retirement age.
Tax VA disability payments (CBO 60947) — Would make compensation taxable income.
Current status: No legislation has been introduced. The 2.8% COLA increase is in effect as of December 1, 2025. Your current benefits are unchanged.
The Project 2025 connection: OMB Director Russell Vought contributed to Project 2025 and a 2023 think tank report that specifically recommended ending TDIU at retirement age and reducing compensation for older veterans. Collins says he hasn't read Project 2025. But the playbook is on the shelf.
But: These options resurface in every budget discussion. They’re being studied. The political ground is being prepared.
Watch the Federal Register. Watch committee hearings. The threat isn’t imaginary.
What This Means for VA Workforce Morale
VA morale is in freefall. The Blumenthal report documents:
Employees citing “exhaustion, low morale, and fear”
Telework elimination forcing staff into “overcrowded” spaces
According to ProPublica, 40% of physicians offered VA jobs in early 2025 turned them down — quadruple the prior year’s rate
Collective bargaining rights stripped from 400,000 employees
AFGE President Everett Kelley has called the administration’s approach “reckless policy, inflammatory rhetoric, and manufactured crisis over responsible leadership.”
Collins is scheduled to testify before the Senate VA Committee Wednesday, January 28 at 3:30 PM EST. The hearing will focus on VHA reorganization.
VSO Statements — Reading Between the Lines
The major VSOs are walking a careful line.
DAV (February 2025): “The recent VA workforce cuts are deeply concerning, especially given the unprecedented lack of transparency... cuts like these move us in the wrong direction.”
American Legion (December 2025): National Commander Dan Wiley said the Secretary briefed them that changes “will not disrupt or delay veteran healthcare.” Then added the Legion will “continue to provide Congress and VA direct feedback from our members.”
Paralyzed Veterans of America: Expressed favor for reducing “administrative barriers” but wants to “learn more.”
Common Defense: Called the planned layoffs a betrayal.
The big VSOs are monitoring. They’re not yet in full opposition mode. That could change if Wednesday’s hearing goes badly.
Republican Response
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), chair of the Senate VA Committee, told reporters he hasn’t reviewed Blumenthal’s report but will “have a better response when I see what the facts are.”
House VA Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL) is frustrated — but about transparency, not policy. He threatened to bar VA testimony after the department twice failed to provide materials before hearings.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the planned cuts “kind of rattle you” but “I’m sure the VA can be reduced.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) supports expanding community care. “It is so much more convenient for our veterans to get the health care that they have earned, and to get it in their communities.”
The Republican position remains: The VA is bloated. Cuts are necessary. Community care is the answer.
The spending bill that passed the Senate sets staffing targets and requires advance notice before terminating contracts over $10 million. It protects Veterans Crisis Line funding. Small guardrails.
Truth Check: Who’s Right?
You’re getting two completely different stories. Here’s what the evidence actually supports.
“No impact on care” — That’s the VA line. Collins maintains cuts target vacant positions and non-essential roles. Press Secretary Kasperowicz calls criticism “political theater.”
The problem: VA’s own data shows mental health wait times exceeding the 20-day community care threshold. By VA’s own standard, the system is failing.
“1.2 million veterans lost their provider” — That’s from Minority Veterans of America. It’s an estimate, not verified VA data. The number may be high. But the documented staffing losses make it plausible.
“Voluntary attrition, not layoffs” — Technically true. Most departures came through early retirement offers and unfilled vacancies. But “voluntary” doesn’t mean “no impact.” When half your Regional Office Directors leave in one year, that’s institutional knowledge walking out the door. Unfilled positions still mean veterans waiting.
The DOGE contract tool — ProPublica’s investigation stands. Collins called the reporting “misleading” but hasn’t disputed the specific findings.
CBO budget proposals — Both sides muddy this. Democrats warn about means testing and ending TDIU at 67. Republicans say nothing’s been introduced. Both are right. The options exist. No legislation has moved. Your benefits are unchanged today. But the proposals keep appearing in budget discussions.
The bottom line: The administration’s claims rely on framing—voluntary, non-essential, safety valves. The Democrats’ claims rely on documented outcomes—wait times, staffing losses, canceled contracts.
When VA’s own wait time data contradicts the “no impact” claim, the data wins.
What You Can Do Now
If you’re still waiting for care:
Document everything. Appointment dates, cancellations, what you were told.
Save Secure Messaging communications.
You have the right to request community care if wait times exceed 20 days for mental health or 28 days for specialty care.
If your provider left:
Request assignment to a new provider in writing.
Document the gap in care.
If care is delayed and harm results, speak with an attorney about FTCA claims.
If you’re watching the budget:
Track committee hearings: Senate VA Committee, House VA Committee
Monitor the Federal Register for proposed rule changes
Know your protections: The 20-year rule, the 55-year rule
Contact your representatives. Tell them CBO options are unacceptable.
If you’re a VA employee:
Your work matters. Veterans know who shows up.
Document retaliation if it happens.
Stay connected to your union.
Collins testifies tomorrow. Blumenthal will be there. So will the data.
I’ll be watching.
Tbird is a Navy veteran (VAQ-34, 1983-1990) and founder of HadIt.com, serving veterans since 1997.
Sources
Blumenthal Report:
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee: “Breaking the Pact: Impacts of Trump, DOGE, and Doug Collins’ Ongoing Assault on Veterans” (January 22, 2026)
DOGE AI Tool Investigation:
ProPublica: “DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to ‘Munch’ Veterans Affairs Contracts” (October 2025)
Staffing/Workforce:
Federal News Network: “VA officially lifts hiring freeze, but staffing caps still in place” (January 26, 2026)
Military Times: “VA leader’s policies delaying care, destroying work force, report says” (January 22, 2026)
ProPublica: “Doctors and Nurses Reject VA Jobs Under Trump” (August 2025)
The War Horse: “Veterans’ mental health is being capped, VA therapists say” (August 2025)
The War Horse: “’I Feel Lost.’ Anxiety Grows Among Veterans Cut off From VA One-on-One Therapy”(December 11, 2025)
CBO Budget Options:
Congressional Budget Office: Budget Options — CBO 60915 (Means Testing), 60916 (TDIU at 67), 60917 (30% reduction at 67), 60918 (30% minimum rating)
VSO Statements:
DAV: “Statement on VA workforce cuts” (February 2025)
American Legion: “American Legion issues statement on report of VA job cuts” (December 2025)