U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison Leads MN Democratic Congressional Delegation in Demanding Answers from VA Amidst Reports That Every VA Medical Center in America is Understaffed

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, following reports that every VA medical center in America is facing severe staffing shortages, and news that the VA will reduce staffing levels by nearly 30,000 employees by September 30, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) led the entire Minnesota Democratic Congressional Delegation in demanding answers in a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins with concerns that these severe staffing shortages could mean that Minnesota's veterans will lose quality and timely access care and services.

Rep. Morrison, joined by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and U.S. Representatives Betty McCollum, Ilhan Omar, and Angie Craig, are demanding that Secretary Collins provide detailed and transparent information regarding every employee who left their position at a VA facility serving Minnesota veterans this year, and to provide detailed data on veteran appointments cancelled or rescheduled due to staffing shortages, in order to assess whether Minnesota's veterans are receiving the highest standard of care. The Trump Administration's attacks on the VA will only worsen the severe staffing shortages that every VA medical center in America is facing - including in Minnesota, as VA facilities who serve Minnesotan veterans face nearly 250 unstaffed positions. The Inspector General's Office also found that the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is facing the most severe nonclinical staffing shortages in the country.

Rep. Morrison is Minnesota's only member on the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and spent part of her medical training caring for patients at a VA hospital.

Read the full letter HERE and below:

Dear Secretary Collins,

We write with concern about the significant number of employees who have left the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in recent months. We fear that the departure of these employees, many of whom serve in veteran-facing and mission critical roles, will threaten the top-quality standard of care and benefits afforded to veterans in Minnesota. To better understand the impacts of the attrition, we request detailed data on the VA workforce serving our state.

Since your confirmation in February, you have made repeated public statements - including in testimony before Congress - that attrition in the VA workforce would not negatively impact the delivery of care and benefits to our veterans and that "mission critical" positions would be protected from reductions in force. As you know, the most recent data from the VA Workforce Dashboard shows that net losses for veteran-facing employees across VA are estimated at nearly 9,000, including 2,547 registered nurses, 1,412 medical support assistants, 890 physicians, and 1,472 veterans claim examiners.

This data appears to be consistent with a broader trend at VA since the beginning of the Trump Administration. As you know, VA announced in July that it would shed 30,000 employees from its ranks by the fall. While this announcement was preferable to your original reduction in force target of 83,000 workers, we remain skeptical that VA can adequately meet our veterans' needs as staffing levels diminish, especially as the agency continues to implement the PACT Act. In addition, your recent decision to terminate collective bargaining agreements for nearly all VA workers will almost certainly worsen working conditions and could lead to even more attrition, especially for physicians, nurses, and other mission critical employees. Worse yet, these developments come as the VA Inspector General recently found that every single VA medical center in the country faces severe staffing shortages, including 130 positions (including 78 clinical positions) in the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, 34 positions (including 26 clinical positions) in the St. Cloud VA Health Care System, 58 positions (including 30 clinical positions) in the Fargo VA Health Care System, and 27 positions (including 21 clinical positions) in the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System. The Inspector General's Office also found that the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is facing the most nonclinical severe staffing shortages in the country, with 52 occupational shortages.

This is why we are requesting a more detailed understanding of the current workforce situation at VA facilities serving the state of Minnesota. Specifically, we ask that you provide data on all employee departures from January 1, 2025, through September 18, 2025 within the Minneapolis Health Care System, St. Cloud Health Care System, Fargo Health Care System, Sioux Falls Health Care System, St. Paul VA Regional Benefit Office, Fargo VA Regional Benefit Office, Sioux Falls VA Regional Benefit Office, Fort Snelling National Cemetery, and Fargo National Cemetery. We ask that your response include the following information for each employee:

We also ask that you provide detailed data on the number and type of veteran appointments cancelled or rescheduled due to staffing shortages at these facilities since January 1, 2025. We believe that a more detailed understanding of the current state of the VA workforce is essential to ensure that Minnesota's veterans receive the top quality care and benefits they deserve, a goal all of us share.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter and we look forward to your response by October 1, 2025.

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