HAMPTON, Va. — With more than 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees out of a job as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s effort to cut federal spending, some veterans are stunned.
Hampton Roads Army veteran Valerie Jackson said she was shocked to learn that her VA appointment had been canceled, as she receives mammograms annually.
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“My father passed from cancer and my daughter has cancer. So I have to have this done every year," Jackson explained.
Jackson said the VA Medical Center in Hampton told her on Feb. 14 that her Feb. 24 appointment had been canceled due to a staffing shortage, and that June was the earliest the center could schedule her a mammogram elsewhere.
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“I started understanding what was going on. You know, the news," said Jackson.
The notification came the same day News 3 reported on President Donald Trump’s administration announcing that more than 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees were being laid off.
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"They never really messed with the veterans before. I don’t understand why they’re doing that now," Jackson said.
News 3 reached out to the medical center and the VA on Monday to find out if Jackson's canceled appointment is connected to the layoffs.
A spokesperson for the VA said they needed more time to investigate Jackson’s case in order to provide a detailed response. A spokesperson for the medical center said they were working on getting answers to our questions.
A staffing shortage is nothing new for the medical center, though.
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As News 3 reported in June 2024, this complaint has been ongoing for years and was part of what led to the reassignment of the center’s director at the time.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says the Feb. 13 layoffs are saving nearly $100 million, but to Jackson, that doesn’t justify the decision.
“I think you need to look at the long-term effect of what you’re doing because we’re not bottom line. We’re people. We’re living, breathing people. You’ve got to look at the human aspect of it. It’s one thing to save the money, but if your people are going to suffer, is it really going to benefit them? I want to be known as a person, not as a number," said Jackson.
In a statement announcing the layoffs of more than 1,000 employees, VA Secretary Doug Collins called the decision tough but right. He also said that in the near future, the VA will announce plans for how the resources saved as a result of the layoffs will be used.
