‘Heartless and Dangerous’: Slashing of VA call centers part of aggressive layoff plan

The call centers that America’s military veterans rely on to schedule appointments and arrange medical care may no longer have a live voice on the other end of the line because the agents who handle the calls are set to be laid off, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans for cutbacks at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The call centers that America’s military veterans rely on to schedule appointments and arrange medical care may no longer have a live voice on the other end of the line because the agents who handle the calls are set to be laid off, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans for cutbacks at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The agency is expected to move to automation, reducing the need for live agents. President Donald Trump ordered mass layoffs across the federal government in February, telling agency heads in an executive action to submit their proposals to the Office of Management and Budget. While many of those agency proposals remain under wraps, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins acknowledged in an interview with Fox News earlier this month that laying off 80,000 VA employees was “a goal, our target.” Such a reduction would represent nearly 20% of the VA’s workforce. About 2,400 employees at the department have already been fired. The layoff plan at the VA would also affect medical and health care support staff, administrative roles including HR personnel, and regional and central office staff including those in strategic planning and procurement, according to sources in the agency and on Capitol Hill. The VA also is working with the Department of Government Efficiency to cut costs and identify contracts to cancel. “This is heartless and dangerous,” said a Democratic congressional staffer who had been briefed by multiple VA officials about the layoff plan at the call centers.