LAKE NONA, Fla. – Last week, more than 1,000 Veterans Affairs (VA) employees were let go after the Trump administration signed an executive order telling agencies to prepare for large-scale reductions, raising concerns among veterans about the future of their benefits.
During a town hall meeting on Wednesday, News 6 heard concerns about what could happen to veterans’ care. The event, hosted by the Orlando VA Healthcare System (OVAHCS) in Lake Nona, allowed veterans to receive updates about their benefits and ask pressing questions.
The town hall featured OVAHCS CEO Timothy Cooke and Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office Director Julianna Boor. Democratic congressmen Darren Soto and Maxwell Frost were also on the panel and were questioned about their plans to defend veterans’ interests on Capitol Hill.
“How is Congress going to help protect us as veterans if they try to come after our disabilities and our disability pay? Because a lot of us depend on that to pay our bills, to pay our mortgage,” one veteran asked the pair.
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While no Republicans were on the panel, both Frost and Soto discussed Democrats’ efforts to block some of the cuts. Frost encouraged veterans to make their voices heard by reaching out to their representatives and asking them to continue fighting for their benefits.
“Go out to a lot of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, a lot of our Republican members, saying it doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent or whatever, we don’t want cuts to our veterans’ benefits,” he said.
Vietnam and Iraq War veteran Gualberto Lopez emphasized the importance of addressing staffing issues to improve the quality of care when talking to the panel.
“We see nurses that work 16 hours, and after 16 hours, they come the next day and work 8 hours,” Lopez said.
While many like Lopez would like to see more staff on the job, VA is currently abiding by the federal government hiring freeze and let go more than 1,000 non-bargaining unit probationary employees last week. VA announced that it would save $98 million annually by eliminating these positions and plans to redirect the funds.
“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care. We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in the news release announcing the cuts. “To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”
However, many veterans remain concerned about the potential reduction in disability and healthcare benefits, with one veteran stating, “Some of us can’t go out and get full-time jobs because of our disabilities.”
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