The Trump administration said Monday that he expects the Department of Veterans Affairs to lose almost 30,000 employees in October due to a combination of resignations, early retirements and wear in the middle of a freezing of contracting.

The agency said the mass exodus “would be eliminated[e] The need for a reduction in large -scale force “or RIF, which was expected to reduce the agency staff by up to 80,000. The administration seems to have recognized that the possibility of a RIF has alarmed many veterans who trust the VA for their care and their concerns even among republican legislators.

The Secretary of VA, Doug Collins, said in a statement that the loss of personnel meant that the agency was “headed in the right direction.”

“A RIF of the entire department is out of the table, but that does not mean that we have finished improving,” said Collins.

Thousands of VA workers have abandoned the department this year through the offer of “deferred resignation” of the Trump administration and other early retirement programs aimed at expelling government employees. Many chose to get out of public service instead of facing a future of probable staff and budget cuts.

The VA said on Monday that it had 467,000 employees as of June 1, less than 17,000 from January 1. It is projected that another 12,000 will leave at the end of September, “through normal wear, voluntary early retirement … or the deferred renunciation program.”

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, testifies during an audience of the Senate Subcommittee on June 24, 2025.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, testifies during an audience of the Senate Subcommittee on June 24, 2025.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, INC through Getty Images)

The va is the bigger Federal Agency other than the Department of Defense and a mass employer of those who served in the United States Army. While most of their employees work on the side of medical care, approximately 30,000 help process veterans claims through the administration of veterans benefits.

As News themezone reported last month, Morality has collapsed In the VA Medical Care Centers in recent weeks, since workers fear the loss of more personnel. The nurses and doctors said that many of their co -workers were considering taking work in private hospitals because they believe that the agency’s services would deteriorate.

“It is difficult to imagine a future in which he is thriving,” said a surgeon.

The agency has tried to assure politicians and the public that medical care services and benefits would not go downhill with a smaller staff. The VA said on Monday that it has many “duplicate and expensive administrative functions” that could be simplified to save money, even consolidating its call centers in a “centralized” system.

Democrats have been skeptical about Trump administration claims that the VA can reduce staff without damaging medical care. At a Senate audience at the end of last month, Senator Jon Ossoff (Georgia) asked Collins how many doctors and nurses he plans that the agency plans to use next year, since the administration has proposed to reduce several billions of dollars in medical services expenses.

“How do you justify this cut to medical services and who are you going to shoot to pay it?” Ossoff asked.