Disarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Fri 23 May 2025 06.00 EDT


The Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, has been plunged into crisis amid canceled contracts, hiring freezes, resignations, layoffs and other moves by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), internal agency documents obtained by the Guardian show.

The documents paint a grim picture of chaos across the department’s sprawling network of 170 veterans affairs (VA) hospitals and more than 1,300 outpatient clinics, which serve 9 million US military veterans.

At the Danville VA medical center, in rural Illinois near the Indiana border, so many nurses resigned that hospital administrators were forced to close the acute care unit to new patients.

The dysfunction has also included a backlog of 2,298 unread radiology exams in Orlando, Florida, and the cancellation of a dozen rheumatology appointments in Montrose, New York. In Battle Creek, Michigan, a spate of resignations, early separation offers and a hiring freeze has led to a “critical” shortage of police officers responsible for protecting VA patients.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/veterans-affairs-doge-musk

[SunSeeker]

1. Trump is intentionally making it a shitshow so he can justify privatizing vet care.

It's been a long time Republican goal.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. How long until the tRump version of Hoover's Bonus Army vets? 2025? 2026?

Bonus Army, Washington DC, 1932:

[Buddyzbuddy]

3. At least the Felon will still have his very, very expensive military parade.

If the parade actually happens, I wish those marching would have a limp in honor of comrade bone spurs.

[Bohunk68]

6. I keep remebering

Sadat's military parade. And hoping.

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

4. Va horror story

I've been in and out of various hospitals for the last year. in that same i went from being able to use a walker to being bed bound. As in, because my doors are narrow, I can't use my wheelchair to get in and out of my apartment. We call the local volunteer firemen to body lift me to a gurney just outside the front door.

This last batch of admissions pinpointed a bad kidney. It had a stone, and there was an abscess pocket of infection near it. My right kidney had only about 5% function, and my left is doing all the work. They put in a drain in the abscess and sent me home. When the drain acted up I was admitted in March, going from a local hospital to a bigger civillian one. I'm a veteran, so the va has been paying for my medical care for 20ish years. I was transferred to a va hospital finally, but not the one I was enrolled in. Then I was transfered again to my enrolled hospital.

They put more drains on me, and kept saying they were sending me home, but since I needed a nephrectomy (kidney removal), they'd just have to bring me back in an ambulance. Finally while they're talking about the surgery I get a bombshell. after the va had been paying for my care for 2 decades, someone decided since I left the air force before two years to have a baby, I suddenly didn't qualify for va care. I was told this when I had only 38 days of care remaining.

I got my surgery, and I went home as soon as the staples were out. The incision stretches across my chest just under my ribcage, so it was like 50 of them.

I've been struggling to sign up for civilian care services and agencies, and tomorrow is my last day of coverage. The va provides my prescription drugs. So need a new doc who can renew my meds.

We applied for a service related disability, and we've been encouraged to contact our (California) senator and congess person with my story, plus the va director and even the white house (ugh). But at this point, I'm desperate. The home care places the va paid for don't take medi-cal.

All this stuff hasn't done my depression and anxiety any good.

[Skittles]

5. when you say you "left the Air Force before two years"

you are saying you did not complete the enlistment? I am a USAF veteran I don't remember women having to leave service to give birth

very sorry that you have such serious health issues

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

7. This was in the early 80s.

It was never explicit, but there was a subtle pressure to leave. They were also collecting minor disciplinary infractions to get enough to kick me out.

[Skittles]

8. FYI I served in the 70's

not many women back then