{"id":27664,"date":"2025-05-09T10:03:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T14:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=27664"},"modified":"2025-05-09T10:03:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T14:03:29","slug":"sen-ossoff-launches-inquiry-into-impacts-of-trump-administrations-mass-va-layoffs-on-wait-times-for-georgia-veterans","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sen-ossoff-launches-inquiry-into-impacts-of-trump-administrations-mass-va-layoffs-on-wait-times-for-georgia-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Ossoff Launches Inquiry into Impacts of Trump Administration\u2019s Mass VA Layoffs on Wait Times for Georgia Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Atlanta, Ga. <\/strong>\u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging the Trump Administration to ensure VA mass firings don\u2019t lengthen wait times for Georgia veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff requested more information from the Atlanta VA Medical Center about whether the Trump Administration\u2019s mass firing of VA personnel has impacted Georgia veterans\u2019 ability to access timely care at the Atlanta VA Medical Center (VAMC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent report from the VA Office of the Inspector General<\/a> outlined how inadequate staffing and hiring delays have been key drivers of delays in veterans\u2019 ability to schedule appointments and access care in Georgia \u2013 before the Administration began firing employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe VA\u2019s Office of Inspector General has identified staffing shortages at your facility and implicated some of them in long wait times,\u201d Sen. Ossoff wrote to Atlanta VAMC Director Kai Mentzer.<\/strong> \u201cI am therefore deeply worried about the impact the Trump Administration\u2019s mass firings of VA personnel will have on our veterans\u2019 ability to receive timely access to healthcare at the Atlanta VAMC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of supporting the Atlanta VAMC\u2019s efforts to recruit qualified staff and resolve long wait times, the Trump Administration has ordered the VA to reduce<\/a> their workforce by more than 80,000 people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur veterans have earned timely and effective service from their government,\u201d wrote Sen. Ossoff.<\/strong>\u201cWe want to ensure that no veteran will receive delayed care or face barriers to access care. To do so would betray the sacred compact we make with those who wear the uniform and undermines faith in our institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff remains committed to standing up for Georgia veterans and ensuring the get the care they have earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This February, Sens. Ossoff and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act<\/em><\/a> to help more veterans in rural areas get transportation to VA health facilities and access the health care benefits they\u2019ve earned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff also launched an inquiry<\/a> with the U.S. Postmaster General this January after receiving reports from Georgians that they are receiving prescriptions late and appointment notices after their scheduled appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, thanks to Sen Ossoff\u2019s bipartisan Access for Veterans to Records Act<\/em><\/a> becoming law, the National Archives cleared a backlog<\/a> of more than 400,000 records requests, enabling Georgia veterans to more quickly access their records and claim their benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, Sen. Ossoff also launched an inquiry<\/a> with the VA into excessive delays with the VA Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA), which decides whether or not veterans are entitled to claimed veterans\u2019 benefits and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click aqu\u00ed<\/a> to read Sen. Ossoff\u2019s inquiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

# # #<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Atlanta, Ga. \u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging the Trump Administration to ensure VA mass firings don\u2019t lengthen wait times for Georgia veterans. Sen. Ossoff requested more information from the Atlanta VA Medical Center about whether the Trump Administration\u2019s mass firing of VA personnel has impacted Georgia veterans\u2019 ability to access timely care at the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27664","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/27664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/27664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27666,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/27664\/revisions\/27666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}