Uncertainty Looms Over VA Research After Hiring Freeze, Despite Temporary Reprieve
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has granted a 90-day extension to temporary researchers whose work was jeopardized by the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and subsequent layoffs. However, the future of these vital medical studies remains uncertain, leaving scientists and advocates deeply concerned about the potential impact on veteran healthcare and broader medical advancements.
President Trump’s government-wide hiring freeze had threatened to halt hundreds of studies and clinical trials conducted through temporary VA appointments. These scientific partnerships have been instrumental in groundbreaking medical discoveries, including the invention of the pacemaker and the first CAT scan. The freeze raised fears of losing valuable expertise and momentum in critical research areas.
In a move that was not publicly announced, the VA extended the terms of some research appointments that were set to expire within the next three months by 90 days. The VA confirmed this extension to USA TODAY, providing a temporary lifeline to researchers facing imminent job loss.
Despite this reprieve, scientists remain apprehensive about the fate of important studies and trials funded by the VA’s development and research office. One researcher, working on opioid use among veterans, expressed their uncertainty, stating, "You never know when we’re going to get hit with some new wild news that, you know, could just be completely devastating." The researcher, who requested anonymity to protect their study, also noted that the loss of a team member due to the VA’s layoffs and appointment cancellations has further delayed their project’s progress.
The VA’s lack of transparency regarding the long-term implications of the hiring freeze and layoffs has fueled anxiety among researchers. Questions remain unanswered about what will happen at the end of the 90-day extension and whether personnel already let go will be reinstated.
VA spokesperson Peter Kasperowicz stated that the extension would "ensure continuity of all VA research efforts while the department conducts a comprehensive assessment of ongoing research initiatives to evaluate their impact on Veteran health care." However, this statement provided little reassurance to researchers seeking clarity about the future.
The opioid use researcher highlighted the ambiguity surrounding the extension’s impact on their study. The project had already suffered a setback with the loss of a team member, and the researcher’s own appointment, which extends beyond the 90-day period, is not covered by the VA’s extension. This creates a precarious situation with no clear solution.
Furthermore, the Trump administration’s firings of administrative workers, who may have been perceived as non-essential, have had a detrimental effect on research efforts. These workers were responsible for crucial tasks such as checking in with study subjects and conducting patient follow-up. Their absence has disrupted studies designed to track patients over time.
The VA has already laid off 2,400 employees as part of the Trump administration’s widespread cuts at federal agencies. A leaked memo revealed plans for further layoffs, potentially affecting at least 76,000 workers, which has raised concerns among lawmakers and advocates that the already short-staffed agency could be devastated.
While the VA has exempted 300,000 positions from the hiring freeze, including direct caregivers, and has stated that "mission critical" positions and contracts were not eliminated in the layoffs, the overall impact of the cuts remains a significant concern.
The chaos caused by the hiring freeze and layoffs has particularly affected the VA’s dual research appointments, a crucial system for medical research. This system allows the VA to tap into the expertise of doctors, professors, and researchers from outside institutions on a temporary basis.
Elizabeth Stout of the National Association of Veterans Research and Education Foundation (NAVREF) described dual appointments as a "cost-effective" way for the VA to access experts on a limited basis. However, the hiring freeze also impacted these federal appointments.
Congress allocated $984 million for more than 7,270 active VA research projects last year. These projects involve over 3,680 principal investigators across 102 research sites. Many of these scientists are on "without compensation" appointments, meaning the VA benefits from their work without paying for it directly, although they are still considered federal employees.
Rashi Romanoff, NAVREF’s chief executive officer, expressed concern about the "destiny" of researchers who have already been let go. "Across VA’s research community, there’s been a lot of concern about the ability to sustain critical veterans research initiatives," she said.
The VA’s research funding has a long history of producing groundbreaking medical advancements, from the cardiac pacemaker to the CAT scan. VA researchers are at the forefront of medical studies and technologies that benefit not only veterans but also the broader public, including prosthetics, PTSD treatment, and cancer research.
Kuldip Dave, senior vice president of research at the ALS Association, emphasized the need for research into why military service increases the risk of ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Veterans are 1.5 times more likely to develop ALS than the general population, but the reason remains unknown. Dave argued that studying veterans could provide insights that are beneficial for all patients.
He also noted that more than 60% of VA researchers are also clinicians, giving them a unique ability to translate their lab findings into patient care. "This is the only organization whose sole focus is to do research on veterans’ needs," he said, adding that cutting VA personnel would have a significant impact as there is no alternative organization to fill the void.
