As a veteran with a disability rating, and I’ll be straight with you: my experience with the VA has actually been pretty damn good. Sure, there’s bureaucracy—there always is with a government agency this size—but the care and service I’ve received have been solid. I know that isn’t everyone’s story, but I want to be honest about my own.


Let’s not forget: the United States was at war from September 11, 2001, until President Biden finally pulled us out of Afghanistan. It was the Republican Party that sent us into those wars—wars that created a whole new generation of disabled vets. Now, Trump’s Republican Party is turning around and talking about gutting the VA. The hypocrisy is infuriating.


And it’s not just talk. The proposals coming out of Project 2025—crafted by the Heritage Foundation as a blueprint for the Trump administration—are draconian as hell. They want to slash VA benefits, tighten eligibility, cut healthcare access, and even close VA clinics, especially in rural areas. These so-called “efficiency” measures would hit veterans hard, especially those who haven’t filed claims yet or who rely on the VA for their medical care. If you think the red tape is bad now, just wait until the VA is forced to run like a stripped-down, for-profit business.

I’ve seen firsthand how the VA has struggled—and improved—over the years. Lately, things have actually been getting better. The VA is processing more claims than ever before, especially since the PACT Act expanded benefits for those of us exposed to toxic crap during our service. But now, with Trump floating a plan to slash 83,000 VA jobs, I’m pissed—and you should be too.


The Facts: VA Claims Are at All-Time Highs
Let’s talk numbers. Since 2020, the VA has been breaking records:
• 2021: The VA processed more claims than ever before. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals alone made over 99,000 decisions, and that’s just a piece of the pie.
• 2022: After the PACT Act passed, the VA received nearly a million new claims related to toxic exposures—a 37% jump in compensation claims. To keep up, they hired about 5,000 new claims processors.
• 2023: The VA kept the pedal down, hiring another 6,500 claims processors to handle the flood of new cases.


All told, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands—sometimes over a million—new claims processed every year. Sure, the system isn’t perfect, but it’s finally moving in the right direction.


What Happens If Trump Gets His Way?
Now, here’s where it gets ugly. Trump wants to cut 83,000 VA employees. That’s about 17% of the entire VA workforce. It would wipe out all the new hires who are actually making a dent in the backlog. Remember those record numbers? Kiss them goodbye.


Here’s what the experts are saying will happen if these cuts go through:

• Claims processed per year would drop back to pre-PACT Act levels—maybe 900,000 a year, tops. That’s a massive step backward.
• Backlogs would explode. We’d be right back to 400,000+ pending claims, just like the bad old days.
• Wait times would double. Instead of three or four months, you could be waiting six months or more for your claim to get processed.
• More mistakes, more appeals, more headaches. Overworked staff make more errors, which means more veterans fighting for years just to get what they earned.

And let’s not forget: a lot of these VA employees are veterans themselves. Slashing their jobs is a slap in the face to people who’ve already served.


Why You Should Give a Damn
This isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It’s about real people—veterans—waiting for the care and compensation they need to survive. If you think the VA’s slow now, just wait until they lose 83,000 workers. Delays will get worse, mistakes will pile up, and more of us will be left in the lurch.


We fought for this country. We shouldn’t have to fight the current administration, too.

Sources
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2022). VA breaks records for claims processed.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023). PACT Act claims surge and hiring response.
• Congressional Research Service. (2023). VA workforce and claims backlog analysis.
• Military Times. (2024). Trump’s proposed VA cuts and projected impacts.