Layoffs at Veterans Affairs

[Smitty]

roughly 82,000 people are expected to be laid off this year. well, we all know the VA is overstaffed. so many stories about vets saying that they're receiving their benefits TOO quickly and easily.

Wayne, i'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/de...rs-cut-80000-jobs-part-trump-cuts-2025-03-05/

and how about a personal story re: some of the layoffs that have already taken place.

https://eedition.timesunion.com/inf...a4173a-85aa-4abd-98aa-8240c89eae48&share=true

i'll summarize it... Alissa Ellman is a vet who, until last week, was working as a digital file clerk with the VA in Buffalo. she was not warned about being laid off, nor was she even told. she took a day off for medical treatment. the next day, she was unable to log into her work computer. you can guess the rest.

well, some of you may say, she was probably a slacker (i mean, *gasp*, she worked from home). or cie would say "tough shit."

here's a few more details. Allissa is classified by the VA as 100% disabled. she contracted a rare form of adrenal cancer due to her proximity to burn pits at US military facilities overseas. Alissa could sit at home doing nothing and collect a decent disability check. but she wanted to continue to serve her country, so she took this job. she's only making $468/month more than she would collecting Disability. per department metrics, in january she had a 200% daily production average, which essentially means she was doing the work of 2 people.

i don't think anybody would begrudge Allissa sucking at the government teat the rest of her life. but that's not what she wants to do.

as we've previously discussed, roughly 30% of the federal workforce are vets. these are the people being laid off.

 

[WhatsHisNuts]

Increasing homeless vets will be another piece of corn in the Trump pile of shit.

 

[WhatsHisNuts]

Veterans fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed, including some who voted for Trump

Nathan Hooven is a disabled Air Force veteran who voted for Donald Trump in November. Barely three months later, he's now unemployed and says he feels betrayed by the president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government that cost him his job. The mass firing of federal employees since...

www.yahoo.com

These vets feel betrayed by Trump. That's how this whole thing works. You cheer for Trump to "shake things up" until he turns your world upside down. This is just the start.
Dept of Education: Can't wait for the affected parents to see how this impacts their kids.
Medicaid: This could be the one that does the most damage.
Farmers: Tariffs and broken contracts are already hurting them. It'll only get worse.

 

[yyz]

Veterans fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed, including some who voted for Trump

Nathan Hooven is a disabled Air Force veteran who voted for Donald Trump in November. Barely three months later, he's now unemployed and says he feels betrayed by the president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government that cost him his job. The mass firing of federal employees since...

www.yahoo.com

These vets feel betrayed by Trump. That's how this whole thing works. You cheer for Trump to "shake things up" until he turns your world upside down. This is just the start.
Dept of Education: Can't wait for the affected parents to see how this impacts their kids.
Medicaid: This could be the one that does the most damage.
Farmers: Tariffs and broken contracts are already hurting them. It'll only get worse.

I don't know what more we can say. I have ZERO sympathy for any crying Trump voters. So smug. So righteous. As Cie loves to bang on: "This is what we voted for!"

And if you're STILL so fucking blind that you refuse to see what is happening, we'll, "the storm is coming"......

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

exactly how many vets are there on this site????

I'll be waiting for response which I won't receive here.
I'm certain none of the above posters are...but rather affiliated with the fanny packing mob we vets were welcomed by when we came home.

how about some facts!!!

Military veterans remain a Republican group, backing Trump over Harris by wide margin

Veteran voters have long been more likely to align themselves with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.

www.pewresearch.org

Military veterans have long tended to affiliate with the Republican Party and support Republican candidates, and that remains the case today.


About six-in-ten registered voters who say they have served in the U.S. military or military reserves (61%) support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, while 37% back Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early September.

Veterans’ vote preferences are on par with past elections. In 2020, 60% of veteran validated voters cast their ballot for Trump, while 39% backed President Joe Biden. And in 2016, veterans voted for Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a similar margin (61% to 35%

 

[WhatsHisNuts]

exactly how many vets are there on this site????

I'll be waiting for response which I won't receive here.
I'm certain none of the above posters are...but rather affiliated with the fanny packing mob we vets were welcomed by when we came home.

how about some facts!!!

Military veterans remain a Republican group, backing Trump over Harris by wide margin

Veteran voters have long been more likely to align themselves with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.

www.pewresearch.org

Military veterans have long tended to affiliate with the Republican Party and support Republican candidates, and that remains the case today.


About six-in-ten registered voters who say they have served in the U.S. military or military reserves (61%) support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, while 37% back Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early September.

Veterans’ vote preferences are on par with past elections. In 2020, 60% of veteran validated voters cast their ballot for Trump, while 39% backed President Joe Biden. And in 2016, veterans voted for Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a similar margin (61% to 35%

You don't have to be a veteran to care about them.

You can live in the past all you like, we're talking about what this administration is doing to veterans in 2025.

 

[yyz]

You don't have to be a veteran to care about them.

You can live in the past all you like, we're talking about what this administration is doing to veterans in 2025.

Never mind the fact the Democrats have ALWAYS done more in Washington for veterans than Republicans.

But, by all means, elect the party that shits on your brethren on a regular basis.

 

[pd1]

exactly how many vets are there on this site????

I'll be waiting for response which I won't receive here.
I'm certain none of the above posters are...but rather affiliated with the fanny packing mob we vets were welcomed by when we came home.

how about some facts!!!

Military veterans remain a Republican group, backing Trump over Harris by wide margin

Veteran voters have long been more likely to align themselves with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.

www.pewresearch.org

Military veterans have long tended to affiliate with the Republican Party and support Republican candidates, and that remains the case today.


About six-in-ten registered voters who say they have served in the U.S. military or military reserves (61%) support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, while 37% back Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early September.

Veterans’ vote preferences are on par with past elections. In 2020, 60% of veteran validated voters cast their ballot for Trump, while 39% backed President Joe Biden. And in 2016, veterans voted for Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a similar margin (61% to 35%

I wonder how many of those people are going, what the fuck just happened. The orange idiot had my back. Not really, now they don’t have a job and are worried about how they are going to pay their bills. Great call dumb ass.

 

[Smitty]

exactly how many vets are there on this site????

I'll be waiting for response which I won't receive here.
I'm certain none of the above posters are...but rather affiliated with the fanny packing mob we vets were welcomed by when we came home.

how about some facts!!!

Military veterans remain a Republican group, backing Trump over Harris by wide margin

Veteran voters have long been more likely to align themselves with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.

www.pewresearch.org

Military veterans have long tended to affiliate with the Republican Party and support Republican candidates, and that remains the case today.


About six-in-ten registered voters who say they have served in the U.S. military or military reserves (61%) support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, while 37% back Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early September.

Veterans’ vote preferences are on par with past elections. In 2020, 60% of veteran validated voters cast their ballot for Trump, while 39% backed President Joe Biden. And in 2016, veterans voted for Trump over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a similar margin (61% to 35%

um, wayne? where did anybody say that vets DIDN'T tend to vote republican? you just spent however much time trying to prove something here that nobody disputed. unfortunately, millions of americans vote against their own best interests every election. 2024 was no different.

i did ask for your thoughts on 82,000 layoffs at the VA. do you think that will help vets? obviously the VA has had a shit ton of issues over the years. but i don't understand how firing 82,000 people (many of whom are vets themselves) will help.

speaking of vets voting republican... you've voted republican for, what, 50+ years now? what does today's republican party have in common with the party in the 70s? if not for the R next to his name, would you have ever voted for donald trump? a man who dodged the draft thanks to his rich daddy? a man who called those who died for this country "suckers and losers"? a man who wouldn't even pose for photos with disabled vets, because they make him look bad? we have NEVER had a president who dishonors our vets and our soldiers more than donald trump.

it wasn't long ago (2015) that republicans hated russia. hated the national debt (at least when a democrat is in office). respected our troops. believed in free trade.

 

[pd1]

um, wayne? where did anybody say that vets DIDN'T tend to vote republican? you just spent however much time trying to prove something here that nobody disputed. unfortunately, millions of americans vote against their own best interests every election. 2024 was no different.

i did ask for your thoughts on 82,000 layoffs at the VA. do you think that will help vets? obviously the VA has had a shit ton of issues over the years. but i don't understand how firing 82,000 people (many of whom are vets themselves) will help.

speaking of vets voting republican... you've voted republican for, what, 50+ years now? what does today's republican party have in common with the party in the 70s? if not for the R next to his name, would you have ever voted for donald trump? a man who dodged the draft thanks to his rich daddy? a man who called those who died for this country "suckers and losers"? a man who wouldn't even pose for photos with disabled vets, because they make him look bad? we have NEVER had a president who dishonors our vets and our soldiers more than donald trump.

it wasn't long ago (2015) that republicans hated russia. hated the national debt (at least when a democrat is in office). respected our troops. believed in free trade.

Smitty, you absolutely owned him.

 

[Smitty]

Smitty, you absolutely owned him.

let's face it, debating trump voters on the facts is incredibly easy. it wasn't long ago that there were a lot of legitimate debates between the two sides. dems wanted... everything. and republicans wanted to know how the hell we were going to pay for it. both sides were aligned in their desire to improve the country. it was just a matter of "how do we get there?"

then, beginning in the late 90's, it started to swing towards a zero-sum game. thanks in large part to newt gingrich, who demanded that republicans not work with democrats. that's when republicans' lack of good policy started to become evident and they turned to identity politics to win elections.

now we're at a point where most D politicians run for office because they want to help people while most R politicians run for office to prevent those darn democrats from "ruining our way of life." and that's nowhere near as big of an exaggeration as it should be.

alright, i'll step down from my soap box.

i really hope wayne replies. i do want to know his thoughts on this topic. not what he hears on fox news, but what HE thinks. to his point, i'm sure he's dealt with the VA more than any of us.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

roughly 82,000 people are expected to be laid off this year. well, we all know the VA is overstaffed. so many stories about vets saying that they're receiving their benefits TOO quickly and easily.

Wayne, i'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/de...rs-cut-80000-jobs-part-trump-cuts-2025-03-05/

and how about a personal story re: some of the layoffs that have already taken place.

https://eedition.timesunion.com/inf...a4173a-85aa-4abd-98aa-8240c89eae48&share=true

i'll summarize it... Alissa Ellman is a vet who, until last week, was working as a digital file clerk with the VA in Buffalo. she was not warned about being laid off, nor was she even told. she took a day off for medical treatment. the next day, she was unable to log into her work computer. you can guess the rest.

well, some of you may say, she was probably a slacker (i mean, *gasp*, she worked from home). or cie would say "tough shit."

here's a few more details. Allissa is classified by the VA as 100% disabled. she contracted a rare form of adrenal cancer due to her proximity to burn pits at US military facilities overseas. Alissa could sit at home doing nothing and collect a decent disability check. but she wanted to continue to serve her country, so she took this job. she's only making $468/month more than she would collecting Disability. per department metrics, in january she had a 200% daily production average, which essentially means she was doing the work of 2 people.

=======================================================================================================

i don't think anybody would begrudge Allissa sucking at the government teat the rest of her life. but that's not what she wants to do.

as we've previously discussed, roughly 30% of the federal workforce are vets. these are the people being laid off.

Smitty I will reply to your questions in thread below later. But will address this one now.

!st I'd like to compliment you on your correct assertion "laid off" Note how your links and rest of drive by media have been hammering in their "fired"
talking points as well as many posters "their sheep" here have.

Per layoffs note term "expected" . again liberal media is talking points .appears.its already happened. I can't make reply unless I know how many will be and from what areas. I need facts not speculation to make determination.

per Allissa /100% disability. She has been receiving about $4,500/month plus free medical all along.

as a fact..Burn pits and (agent orange) in my time, are difficult to prove and most abused for fraud.
Case in point. I have great friend whose brother in law was in navy and spent 18 hours in country from ship on a base and gets 100% for agent orange.

My personal opinion---10% of vets who deserve them don't get them---33% of those that get them, don't deserve them.

 

[yyz]

!st I'd like to compliment you on your correct assertion "laid off" Note how your links and rest of drive by media have been hammering in their "fired"
talking points as well as many posters "their sheep" here have.

This is correct. Being "fired" means you did something against the rules and are being terminated for that reason.

Being "laid off" means the company simply doesn't give a fuck about you anymore.

Either way, you're out of a paycheck.

I need facts not speculation to make determination.



My personal opinion---10% of vets who deserve them don't get them---33% of those that get them, don't deserve them.

Apparently not. Who knew?

 

[Smitty]

!st I'd like to compliment you on your correct assertion "laid off" Note how your links and rest of drive by media have been hammering in their "fired"
talking points as well as many posters "their sheep" here have.

Per layoffs note term "expected" . again liberal media is talking points .appears.its already happened. I can't make reply unless I know how many will be and from what areas. I need facts not speculation to make determination.

thank you for the reply.

i don't believe anybody is implying the layoffs already happened. in fact, they were quite clear that this is planned, not something in the past. although they have already fired a couple thousand people from the VA, if i recall correctly. and given everything that has happened so far, it's not exactly realistic to expect they are going to suddenly put a ton of careful thought into who they will fire in the future.

per Allissa /100% disability. She has been receiving about $4,500/month plus free medical all along.

this is the point. obviously we don't know anything else about her financial situation, but, at the very least, she could sit at home doing nothing and living on the government teat. she didn't want to do that, and she found a job where she could still contribute. and it appears that she is a good employee. a perfect example that contradicts all the right wing talking points about lazy government employees who MUST GO BACK TO THE OFFICE.

as a fact..Burn pits and (agent orange) in my time, are difficult to prove and most abused for fraud.
Case in point. I have great friend whose brother in law was in navy and spent 18 hours in country from ship on a base and gets 100% for agent orange.

My personal opinion---10% of vets who deserve them don't get them---33% of those that get them, don't deserve them.

i agree 100%. and i wouldn't be surprised if the actual numbers are even worse. same goes for the 9/11 first responders. sadly, there's no doubt that plenty of people are taking advantage of programs put in place to help. but i think it comes down to... isn't it better to err on the side of caution? do everything you can to take care of these people who sacrificed so much, even while fully knowing there will be some fraud?

how long did the government deny there were any health issues related to agent orange? an absolute stain on our country's history.

 

[WhatsHisNuts]

=======================================================================================================

per Allissa /100% disability. She has been receiving about $4,500/month plus free medical all along.

as a fact..Burn pits and (agent orange) in my time, are difficult to prove and most abused for fraud.

Alissa has adrenal cancer, likely linked to her exposure to the burn pits. She's still able to work, and does (or did), but your complaint is that the $54k a year plus medical is too much? Also, look at the position she held that got cut.

This is engineered incompetence. Lay off a bunch of the workforce to cut costs, watch it fail, point to it failing as reason to further gut it.