Federal Employee Firings and Their Ripple Effect on the VA By Kalea Rosario, Veterans Law Clinic Intern, Widener University Delaware Law

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has long struggled with staffing shortages, particularly in critical roles such as physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, and adjudicators. These persistent gaps have contributed to long wait times for care and delayed benefits processing for veterans. Now, recent workforce reductions—including terminations and a planned cut of approximately 83,000 jobs as part of a government-wide downsizing effort—are raising serious concerns about the VA’s ability to serve those who have sacrificed for their country. Of particular concern are the impacts on the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA), where shortages of judges and clerks have already strained the system. As these cuts take effect, the existing backlog of appeals may worsen, further delaying justice and support for veterans seeking resolution of their service-related claims.  

The BVA has been grappling with a dual challenge: addressing pending appeals from both the older Legacy system and the newer Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) system. As of December 2024, nearly 36,000 Legacy appeals remained unresolved, many needing multiple adjudications. This situation has been further complicated by the influx of AMA appeals, leading to a peak of over 216,000 pending appeals in April 2023. 

In response to these challenges, the BVA had previously increased its personnel, resulting in a rise in decisions issued—from an average of 7,900 appeals per month in FY 2022 to almost 9,700 decisions per month during FY 2024. The recent terminations threaten to reverse this progress, potentially exacerbating delays in adjudicating veterans’ appeals.  

While there is ample information about the ongoing backlogs at the BVA, there is limited public data on the exact number of VA adjudicators, BVA judges, and clerks who have been terminated as part of the workforce reduction.  

Furthermore, recent budget cuts have led to the cancellation of nearly $2 billion in VA contracts with veteran-owned small businesses. The loss of these contracts threatens the financial stability and livelihood of numerous veterans and their small business employees. Most of the canceled contracts fell under the “professional services” category, which typically includes a federal agency’s need for specialized expertise in areas such as legal, economic, financial, and technical services. These professional services being cut often provide critical support to vital government functions at the VA. The reduction in expert services could impact the quality and efficacy of care and services veterans receive. 

Veteran advocates are urging the government to reconsider these cuts, particularly in light of the already strained capacity of the VA system. Addressing the backlog should be a priority, not only in terms of personnel but also through streamlining processes and ensuring adequate resources to handle the volume of appeals. Staffing reductions at this critical moment could have profound and lasting impacts on the veterans who depend on these essential services for their well-being and support.