- The latest OPM email telling federal workers to outline their accomplishments has roiled Washington.
- For Veterans Affairs employees who spoke to BI, the directive is one more DOGE-related frustration.
- About 2,400 staffers from the agency have been fired in recent weeks.
When Elon Musk announced last Saturday that federal workers would have to respond to an email detailing their work accomplishments from the past week or risk termination, it was the latest move in the White House DOGE Office’s push to upend US government.
Veterans Affairs secretary Doug Collins — a former Georgia congressman — said in a video last Thursday that health care for veterans would not suffer amid efficiency reforms, pushing back against what he said were “whoppers” about DOGE-related impacts on the department. Roughly 2,400 employees at the agency have been fired in recent weeks, including 1,400 on Monday.
Several staffers at the Department of Veterans Affairs told DOGE’s efforts have created a high level of uncertainty and stress within a department tasked with providing critical services for the nation’s veterans.
“So many people have no clue how this is impacting us,” one VA social worker said. “We spend a lot of time managing our staff’s emotions with each OPM email. I fear people will begin to resign and then our veterans are the ones who will suffer.”
The social worker also said staffers are being “harassed” by the Office of Personnel Management.
“It has been nonstop since January 20,” the social worker said of the OPM’s directives.
A VA nurse — who was instructed by a facility leader to respond to the OPM email — said it “lacked any context, explanation, or proper official formatting, making it indistinguishable from a scam email.” The nurse noted that before President Donald Trump took office last month, official communications typically came from VA email accounts, whereas now they’re coming from OPM accounts.
“The idea that a billionaire oligarch can decide over social media that employees must submit to vague, coercive demands — or lose their jobs — is both disturbing and unacceptable,” the nurse added.
Another VA employee told BI that the latest OPM email is a “direct assault” on public servants and chided government leaders for what he said was a lack of leadership in probing DOGE.
“Why are our elected officials allowing an unvetted agency such unchecked power, without any visible oversight or accountability?” the employee said. “The military recognizes the detrimental effects of prolonged high-stress operations. Federal workers have been living it for the past month.”
Most of the VA workers spoke of how the OPM’s actions are taking away from the focus on veterans.
Another VA nurse told BI that they feared important research trials would be in jeopardy after Trump issued a federal hiring freeze.
“I love taking care of veterans but now worry each day whether I’ll still have a job,” the nurse said. “My heart also breaks for all the worried veterans who are now coming in wondering if they can still get care at the VA, if there will be anyone left to take care of them.”
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The Department of Veterans Affairs has roughly 400,000 employees, with 170 VA medical centers and nearly 1,200 outpatient centers across the country.
In January, following Trump’s hiring freeze executive order, the department said there would be exemptions for essential roles.
Earlier in February, the Department of Veterans Affairs fired over 1,000 employees — which included probationary workers — and said the move would allow it to redirect $98 million in savings towards health care services for veterans.
After the dismissals, 36 Senate Democrats — including Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ranking member Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut — pressed the department to rehire every fired probationary employee.
However, on Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs dismissed 1,400 additional employees whom they said occupied “non-mission critical” probationary roles. This comes as probationary employees across multiple federal agencies have become targets for terminations in recent weeks.
“These and other recent personnel decisions are extraordinarily difficult, but VA is focused on allocating its resources to help as many Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors as possible,” Collins said in a statement on Monday.
“These moves will not hurt VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. In fact, Veterans are going to notice a change for the better,” the secretary added.
The department said on Monday that the bulk of its 40,000 probationary employees weren’t included in the most recent job dismissals because they occupied critical roles.
Still, leading Senate Democrats have continued to push back against the cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In a letter helmed by Blumenthal and signed by 35 of his Senate colleagues last Wednesday, they disputed Collins’ assertions that the cuts wouldn’t “negatively impact” care for veterans.
“Openings for new clinics have been delayed because VA cannot hire the necessary staff to open their doors. Service lines at VA hospitals and clinics have been halted,” the lawmakers said at the time. “The list of real-life negative impacts of this Administration’s directives is expansive and growing every day.”
Blumenthal — who said he now regrets voting to confirm Collins in what was an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in January— railed against the latest series of cuts at the department.
“Make no mistake, these actions are destroying the trust veterans have in VA and will do long-term damage to VA’s ability to recruit and retain talented doctors, nurses, and others wanting to pursue a career serving veterans,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Business Insider reached out to the Department of Veterans Affairs and DOGE for comment.
