The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to reorganize the Veterans Health Administration, also known as VHA, to reduce bureaucracy, ensure a consistent policy application across medical facilities and improve healthcare for veterans.
The agency said Monday that it will reveal organizational and personnel changes in early 2026.
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“The current VHA leadership structure is riddled with redundancies that slow decision making, sow confusion and create competing priorities,” VA Secretary Douglas Collins explained.
“Under a reorganized VHA, policymakers will set policy, regional leaders will focus on implementing those policies and clinical leaders will focus on what they do best: taking great care of Veterans,” the official added.
What Will Change at VHA?
Under the proposal, VHA Central Office will set policy goals and oversee financial management, compliance and oversight. Meanwhile, Operations Centers and Veterans Integrated Service Networks will translate that direction into operational, quality and performance standards for 1,300 VA medical facilities.
The department said the initiative is not a reduction in force and is not expected to significantly change overall staffing levels.
The changes will be implemented over 18 to 24 months.
Why Is the VA Restructuring?
The VA is undergoing a department-wide restructuring with plans to eliminate tens of thousands of positions, the majority of which are unfulfilled roles.
A report from the Washington Post Saturday revealed that the agency will eliminate as many as 35,000 healthcare positions, most of which were described as “unfilled jobs, including doctors, nurses and support staff.” VA is aiming to reduce its healthcare workforce to 372,000 employees, a 10-percent decrease compared to 2024.
VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz explained that the positions that will be eliminated are “mostly COVID-era roles that are no longer necessary.” He also assured veterans that the workforce reductions will not affect VA operations and the agency’s delivery of care.
