Have You Been Affected by Changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? Tell Us About It.

Have you experienced setbacks in your care or benefits amid the changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? ProPublica wants to hear from you.

by Eric Umansky, Vernal Coleman and Maryam Jameel

May 6, 2025, 5:05 a.m. EDT

As the Trump administration pledges to eliminate 80,000 employees at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, ProPublica reporters are investigating how changes at the VA are affecting veterans themselves. Trump has promised to put veterans first, but our reporting shows veterans’ care is suffering amid wide-ranging cuts. If you’ve experienced setbacks in your care, we want to hear from you.

We would also appreciate firsthand insights about changes happening within the VA from agency employees. Please do not fill out this form if you work for the VA or another federal agency. Instead, contact our reporters via the encrypted messaging app Signal:

Eric Umansky: Ericumansky.04
Vernal Coleman: vcoleman91.99

We appreciate you sharing your story, and we take your privacy seriously. We are gathering these stories for the purposes of our reporting and will contact you if we wish to publish any part of your story.

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Have You Been Affected by Changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? Tell Us About It.

by Eric Umansky, Vernal Coleman and Maryam Jameel

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<h1>Have You Been Affected by Changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs? Tell Us About It.</h1><p><em>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom.  Sign up for <a href="https://go.propublica.org/bigstory-20180905-CC">The Big Story newsletter</a> to receive stories like this one in your inbox</em>.</p><div><p>As the Trump administration pledges to <a href=https://apnews.com/article/veterans-affairs-cuts-doge-musk-trump-f587a6bc3db6a460e9c357592e165712>eliminate 80,000 employees</a> at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, ProPublica reporters are investigating how changes at the VA are affecting veterans themselves. Trump has promised to put veterans first, but our reporting shows veterans’ care is suffering amid wide-ranging cuts. <a href=https://airtable.com/appQN55Zo0V5YYPrH/pagLr7CSAR8lvPhQz/form>If you’ve experienced setbacks in your care, we want to hear from you</a>.</p><p>We would also appreciate firsthand insights about changes happening within the VA from agency employees. <strong>Please do not fill out this form if you work for the VA or another federal agency. Instead, contact our reporters via the encrypted messaging app Signal:</strong></p><ul><li><a href=https://www.propublica.org/people/eric-umansky>Eric Umansky</a>: Ericumansky.04  </li><li><a href=https://www.propublica.org/people/vernal-coleman>Vernal Coleman</a>: vcoleman91.99</li></ul><p></p><p>We appreciate you sharing your story, and we take your privacy seriously. We are gathering these stories for the purposes of our reporting and will contact you if we wish to publish any part of your story.</p><a href=https://airtable.com/appQN55Zo0V5YYPrH/pagLr7CSAR8lvPhQz/form>Share Your Experience</a></div><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/department-of-veterans-affairs-layoffs-benefits-impact-trump"><meta name="syndication-source" content="https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/department-of-veterans-affairs-layoffs-benefits-impact-trump"><script type="text/javascript" src="https://pixel.propublica.org/pixel.js" async></script>

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