VA ends plan for further layoffs after workforce drops by 30,000

WASHINGTON — A large-scale reduction in the workforce of 80,000 employees planned for hospitals and clinics run by the Department of Veterans Affairs is no longer being considered for fiscal 2025, VA Secretary Doug Collins announced Monday. A federal hiring freeze imposed since February — along with deferred resignations, early retirements and regular turnover from attrition — will yield a decrease of 30,000 full-time personnel through September and eliminate the need for sweeping layoffs, he said. The agency as a result does not anticipate further staff reductions, Collins said. The...