Senate Democrats: VA Policies Have Lengthened Mental-Health Waits and Devastated Workforce

A new Senate Democrats' report led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal concludes that policies introduced under President Donald Trump, VA Secretary Doug Collins and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have lengthened mental-health wait times, triggered large staff departures and disrupted services across the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Report Findings

The report documents sharp declines in staffing and service performance at the VA over the past year. New-patient wait times for mental-health care now average 35 days, and waits in 15 states exceed 40 days — roughly double the VA’s standard. Maryland shows the longest statewide average at 54 days, and a Ventura, California clinic reported behavioral-health waits of 121 days after seven of 12 mental-health providers left following a return-to-office mandate.

The VA reportedly lost 40,000 employees in the past year, with 88% of departures from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Officials had at one point targeted reductions of up to 80,000 positions and later described plans to cut 30,000 through attrition; in December the VA said it would cut an additional 26,000 VHA jobs through attrition this year.

Staffing and Service Impacts

• Reported staffing losses include about 1,000 physicians, 3,000 registered nurses, 700 social workers and 1,500 schedulers.
• The Veterans Benefits Administration reportedly lost approximately 1,500 claims examiners, contributing to backlogs.
• Waits for decisions on legacy appeals have grown by nearly 1,000 days to 3,541 days.
• Administrative disruptions left 75,000 students with unpaid education bills and contributed to mortgage-servicing changes that put some veterans at risk of foreclosure.

Leadership Response and Transparency Concerns

Secretary Collins has defended the staffing reductions, saying cuts account for unfilled vacancies and efficiency gains and that hospitals and clinics can hire where needed. At the same time, Blumenthal and other lawmakers — including Republicans on oversight committees — criticized the VA for refusing or delaying requested data and testimony about contract cancellations and internal changes.

“The trend we are seeing is frightening and deeply alarming because it will have a negative impact on our veterans,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, warning of a “diminished and greatly reduced VA” if current policies continue.

Contracts, Community Care and Calls for Safeguards

The VA is reorganizing the Veterans Health Administration, which manages care for more than 9 million enrolled veterans, and has announced community-care contracts estimated at up to $1 trillion to expand private-sector access for up to 10 years. Blumenthal urged senators and veterans’ advocates to insist on safeguards and accountability measures to ensure community-care expansion does not weaken VA capacity.

Lawmakers emphasized the human cost of the reported changes: lost hospital beds, delayed or disrupted care including reproductive and transgender services, and a demoralized workforce facing alleged harassment, retaliation and the revocation of collective-bargaining protections under a March executive order.

The report calls for greater transparency from VA leadership, robust oversight of contract and staffing changes, and assurances that veteran access and quality of care will not be compromised.