Veteran from North Providence explains how imminent VA cuts could impact Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Tens of thousands of jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs could soon be on the chopping block.
According to a report obtained by the Associated Press, the Trump Administration plans to cut over 80,000 jobs from the agency.
North Providence resident Matt Vianna is the state veterans chair for the Rhode Island State Elks Association.
He runs a local organization in East Providence called Rucking for Roofs, raising money for thousands of homeless veterans in Rhode Island.
“As a veteran, you sign on the dotted line, and everyone becomes family that signed on that dotted line,” Vianna said. “You never turn your back on family.”
The agency-wide reorganization of the VA aims to return staffing to 2019 levels, just under 400,000 jobs.
“Automatically, you’re trying to see what that looks like, what that’s going to equal in our backyard,” Vianna said. “To try and have resources ready just in case we have veterans that fall into that pool, what’s that next step.”
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said in a post on social media Wednesday that the layoffs would not mean cuts to veterans’ health care or benefits.
“For many years, veterans have been asking for a more efficient, accountable, and transparent VA,” Collins said. “This administration is finally going to give the veterans what they want.”
Even so, Vianna believes veterans in Rhode Island could feel the ramifications.
“Let’s just do some basic math,” he said. “You have 80,000 positions being cut, and there’s 171 VA medical institutes in the country. That’s roughly about 463 jobs that are going to get lost if they cut it evenly throughout the country.
“There’ll be more cuts in other locations than here,” Vianna added. “But even the ones that are here, it could make a big impact.”
Vianna said other organizations across the state may need to step up if cuts are made in Rhode Island.
“It’s getting ahead of it now, it’s planning now and being ready for what that may look like to triage that,” he said. “To make sure the veterans themselves are not the ones that are going to pay the price for it.”
Ultimately, Vianna expressed that we all need to play a role in helping those who served.
“If you live next to a vet, keep an eye on them,” he said. “Because it could equate to something big. We hope it doesn’t, but we’re not going to know until that finally happens.”
Collins said, while the VA conducts its review, the agency will continue to hire for more than 300,000 positions to ensure that health care and benefits for VA beneficiaries are not impacted.
