Originally published: 2025-08-22T13:45:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs is redirecting tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds away from subsidizing federal unions and back to the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors VA serves.
On Aug. 6th, VA announced the termination of union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees, reducing the number of VA bargaining unit employees from about 375,000 down to about 7,000. As a result of that decision, VA is redirecting nearly $45 million per year in federal funds from unions to America’s Veterans by:
- Generally ending taxpayer-funded union time: In 2024, VA spent $39.75 million by allowing 1,961 VA employees to spend nearly 750,000 hours working on behalf of government unions rather than VA beneficiaries.
- The vast majority of these employees are now back working full time for VA in the positions they were hired to do – rather than performing work on behalf of the union. This includes more than 1,000 employees serving Veterans in direct patient-care roles.
- Reclaiming VA office space: VA has reclaimed over 180,000 square feet of office space worth approximately $5.4 million that had been provided to unions free of charge. This space will be repurposed to serve VA beneficiaries. VA will use this reclaimed space to expand administrative and clinical services in several facilities across the country.
- Reclaiming VA IT equipment: Since Aug. 6, VA has reclaimed from union representatives more than 2,000 pieces of IT equipment worth approximately $600,000, which VA had been providing free of charge.
There are many egregious examples of how taxpayer-funded union time enabled senior, skilled VA staff to collect taxpayer-funded salaries for doing union business instead of working on behalf of Veterans. In FY24, the following VA employees were on taxpayer-funded union time, performing work for unions instead of providing care for Veterans:
- More than 1,000 VA employees in direct patient-care roles.
- Six registered nurses who collectively earned nearly $1.2 million per year in wages and benefits.
- Five attorneys who collectively earned $1.25 million per year.
- Four pharmacists who collectively earned more than $700,000 per year.
- One physician’s assistant who earned $225,000 per year.
- One Veterans claims examiner who earned $190,000 per year.
Under President Trump, VA is bringing tens of thousands of employees back to the office, where they can work better as a team to serve Veterans. Now VA employees will have hundreds of thousands more square feet of office space in which to work, including at:
- The Salem VA Medical Center, where union leadership relinquished control of a 7,500 square foot office space that encompassed the entire wing of a building.
- The James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Tennessee, where union leadership relinquished control of a 3,800 square foot office space.
- Eleven other VA medical facilities across the country, where union leadership relinquished control of offices larger than 2,000 square feet apiece.
“VA staff will now get to spend more time with Veterans, VA facilities can focus on treating Veterans, and VA can manage its staff according to Veterans’ needs and national security requirements, not union demands,” said VA secretary Doug Collins.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.
