TAMPA, Fla. — Nationwide cuts to the VA Health Care System could be looming, but VA Secretary Doug Collins says any cuts will not impact patient care or services.

What You Need To Know

  •  So far the VA says it has made no cuts, but its efficiency is being evaluated by DOGE

  •  VA Secretary Doug Collins tells Spectrum News any potential cuts will not impact patient care or services

  •  Locally, at least one Veteran we talked to says he has left the VA system for a private insurance provider

  • No timeline has been set for a decision on cuts to the VA

It comes as rallies happen nationwide by VA workers, demanding their jobs be spared as the president's unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team continues a deep dive in to government agencies looking to slash tax-payer expenses.

In local communities like Tampa, veterans are watching closely as they hope their health care isn’t impact.

U.S. Coast Guard veteran Karl Piessens says he recently left the VA system and opted for a Tri-Care, a private military plan managed by Humana.

Piessens, who was with the Coast Guard for 21 years, says he enrolled with the VA last summer, and quickly experienced what he calls a slow pace for appointments, and an inability to have efficient communications with his health care providers.

“I schedule an MRI and it’s 4-months away, well how is that going to do me any good? Ultra sounds you have to wait a fiscal quarter for,” Piessens said.

Piessens explained after retiring in 2023, he entered a Department of Defense Health Care Plan, but transferred to the VA to save expenses.  

He says being 90% disabled, the VA covered most all of his medical care and co-pays, which was helpful as he looked for work.

But after being onboarded to the VA System, he says wait-times and a lack of communication with his providers became frustrating.

“I don’t feel any better being under their care. I don’t. I’ve just been getting worse,” he shared.

Collins spoke with Spectrum News about looming cuts to the agency, and says so far no cuts have been made, and that any cuts would be closely reviewed to make sure patient care isn’t impacted.

“Have you ever had somebody come to your home and they look around and you say, 'Hey what can we do different here?' And they take about 5 minutes and they look around and they say, 'Well hey you can move these curtains, and you can move this, and look how it opens this up.' Well sometimes you need a fresh look at your circumstances and your organizations to make sure you are on track,” said Collins.

Earlier this year, threats of as many as 80,000 jobs cuts were made, rolling back VA employment levels to 2019.

In 2019, the VA stated an internal review showed its wait times were better than patients in private health care plans, and that it was exceeding its goals for patient efficiency.