VA insists veterans services remain robust in Pittsburgh despite staff departures nationwide

Pittsburgh’s VA serves more than 91,000 veterans across a 13-county area.

JACK TROY
TribLive

Pittsburgh-area veterans won’t see any interruption to their care or benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs claims, even as thousands of its employees head for the exits nationwide.

The department is on pace to lose nearly 30,000 employees, or about 6% of its workforce, by the end of September. Already, about 17,000 workers have left this year through ordinary attrition, early retirement, deferred resignation and other means.

Shelley Nulph, a spokeswoman for Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, did not answer questions about how many local employees have left or are expected to leave.

But as the national VA asserts it has “multiple safeguards in place to ensure these staff reductions do not impact veteran care or benefits,” Nulph said the same goes for Pittsburgh.

Tia Christopher, a Pittsburgh- based veteran and advocate, said she sees some cracks forming, though. She suspects her therapist, for instance, is squeezing in appointments during their lunch break. And, to her frustration, she has seen clinicians forced to take turns manning the front desk at the office.

“Just like, give them a damn scheduler,” Christopher said.

The VA has not said which positions or divisions have seen reductions or by how much.

Pittsburgh’s VA has 4,566 employees, including almost 1,200 nurses and more than 300 doctors, according to its website. It serves more than 91,000 veterans across a 13-county area.

Shedding staff has been a key priority under VA Secretary Doug Collins and, more broadly, the Trump administration.

Their early efforts have been so successful, apparently, the VA announced Monday plans to slash about 80,000 jobs were no longer needed.

“Since March, we’ve been conducting a holistic review of the department centered on reducing bureaucracy and improving services to veterans,” Collins said. “A department-wide (reduction in force) is off the table, but that doesn’t mean we’re done improving VA.”

Other pending reforms include creating a centralized call center, streamlining payroll and consolidating administrative functions between health care, benefits and burial divisions.

More divisive steps have also been taken, including phasing out treatment for veterans with gender dysphoria — the psychological distress caused by a difference in one’s gender identity and sex assigned at birth — and ending diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

‘Cautiously optimistic’

Veterans organizations, generally against staff cuts but possibly looking to keep their political powder dry, have struck a delicate tone in reacting to the VA’s more moderate workforce plan.

Daniel Contreras, national commander of Disabled American Veterans, said in a statement his organization is “cautiously optimistic” the September target can be achieved “without impacting the timely delivery of high-quality health care and benefits.”

But it will take a while to see if that’s the case, the nonprofit’s deputy national service director for training, Scott Hope, told TribLive. And the nearly 30% reduction in backlogged disability claims under the Trump administration says little about the immediate impact of a smaller workforce.

That’s because of a bump in claimants after the federal PACT Act passed in 2022, expanding benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances.

The agency also launched a nationwide outreach campaign that included more than 2,500 events, $13 million in paid media and upwards of 400 million emails and letters to veterans, all recruiting them to apply for benefits.

It’s only natural the backlog would start coming down, according to Hope.

“You’re just not going to maintain that many folks coming in,” Hope said. “Because they already came in.”

The VA also reinstituted mandatory overtime in May for employees who handle disability and pension claims, further blunting the impact of worker departures.

There is a chance, too, that a turbulent atmosphere at the VA is driving staff to work harder to keep their jobs, or even that some are energized by leadership’s initiatives, Hope noted.

Christopher, the Pittsburgh veteran, is confident for now the Trump administration won’t seriously jeopardize veterans’ care or benefits.

But as major combat deployments of American soldiers recede further into the rearview mirror, she fears the public’s concern for veterans might fade and cutting those services could become less politically toxic.

“If they are gonna cut our benefits and stuff like that, they’re going to have to let more disconnect sink in,” Christopher said. “I think they’re not going to do anything super major yet.”