While the Veterans Affairs Department has called off mass layoffs of its workforce, senior leaders are telling employees that major changes are still coming.
VA plans to have cut 30,000 employees by the end of September, down from its original plan of chopping 80,000 workers and eliminating the need for “large-scale” reductions in force. The department is now launching a “VA-wide review of its mission” and structure, Christopher Syrek, the department’s chief of staff said in a memorandum last week, with the aim of improving operational efficiency.
Syrek noted the memo formally canceled the one he sent out in March, which established the goal of 80,000 cuts through layoffs. He said the new review will be informed by the process of preparing for RIFs, suggesting VA “gained a host of new ideas for better serving veterans” and it will continue to use its authority to reorganize. While “large-scale” RIFs are off the table, he said, “VA is not done improving and continues to pursue organizational reform.”
https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/07/va-launches-departmentwide-review-its-mission-it-seeks-changes-its-operations/406861/
