Vietnam War veterans lined up in the auditorium at the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Wednesday to receive a commemorative pin and a presidential certificate in honor of the 50-year anniversary of the end of the war.
Right after the ceremony, audience members hurled questions and criticisms about the Trump administration’s plans — announced earlier that day — to cut more than 80,000 workers from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“It felt like a slap in the face,” Karen Balmer said of the ceremony. Her husband, a member of the Marine Corps from 1968 to 1972, received the honors at the event.
The meeting was a regularly scheduled town hall where local VA leaders typically provide updates on initiatives and metrics. But the veterans who showed up Wednesday largely wanted to know how the federal cuts would affect their care at the facility.
Osvaldo Ponzo has attended other town halls but has never seen one become so heated, he said. Ponzo served in the U.S. Army for nearly 30 years and recently moved to Virginia with his wife.
“We’re talking about supporting veterans and taking care of our own and taking care of those we sent off to war, including my wife and I. How do you then say no, you don’t need this budget. You don’t need care. People who don’t know health care are cutting our jobs,” Ponzo said.
Two recent federal actions have reduced the workforce at VA facilities nationwide. Initially, a federal hiring freeze halted appointments to new jobs. Then the Department of Veterans Affairs terminated probationary employees with less than one year of service.
It’s not clear how many employees at the Salem VA were affected; Rebecca Stackhouse, medical director at the facility, confirmed that some staff members were fired but wouldn’t say how many. The majority of the cuts were administrative positions, with only a few health care workers affected, she said.
Occupations that involve direct patient care are mostly exempt from the hiring freeze, Stackhouse said.
The center employed 1,975 full-time employees in 2018 and served more than 78,000 veterans, according to the Veterans Affairs website. The current number of employees at the facility is not listed.
Prior to the meeting, members of the media were informed that local VA officials would not be answering questions related to national news or reports about the cuts, nor would they be able to address questions about local impacts.
All questions were to be submitted in writing to the federal department in Washington, D.C.
However, Stackhouse did try to ease concerns from the audience, saying that the Salem VA would do its best to maintain quality of care.
“We’re still able to hire staff that we need to provide essential services to the best of our ability,” she said. “We’re not talking about situations where we have mass numbers of staff that have been cut. … We’re here to fulfill our mission. We’re here to make sure that we provide health care treatment and services to you all.”
Veterans worried that cuts could impact quality of care
Many audience members who got up to speak during the town hall said that their care at the Salem VA has been excellent over the years, but they’re concerned that the quality would be affected by the cuts.
The Salem VA has been working to decrease wait times for specialist appointments. This time last year, new patients waited about 70 days to see a specialist. Now, patients wait an average of 42 days, and those seeking mental health services wait about 19 days to see a provider. The Salem center hopes to get average wait times down to 28 days.
Many in the audience asked how the center would meet its benchmarks if staff is reduced.
“[The cuts] are going to affect the care that the veterans get eventually,” Karen Balmer said.
“Even though they say it’s just the low-hanging fruit … even the people that order supplies help the veterans. The people that deliver the equipment, that’s going to be delayed eventually.”
Her husband has received care at the center for many years and has always felt his experiences there were exceptional, she said.
Terminations sent directly to employees
Emails regarding individual terminations were sent directly to employees, Stackhouse said. The Salem VA administration was not involved in the decision-making process.
Instead, employees were expected to inform their supervisors that they’d been fired.
“These people who get those [emails], what are they going to do about their insurance? It just upsets their whole lives. … Morale has got to be totally down. You can’t imagine going in every day not knowing if you’re going to be there tomorrow,” Balmer said.
One woman in the audience was nearly brought to tears as she voiced her concerns about the cuts.
“I was heartbroken this morning when I read that the VA is planning on cutting 83,000 jobs,” she said. “I don’t believe or understand how they cannot negatively impact health care or benefits.”
Early departure of Congressional staffers draws criticism
Representatives from the offices of several of the region’s members of Congress attended the presentation about metrics at the Salem VA.
However, Ponzo spoke up during the town hall to point out that the representatives had left immediately after they were introduced, before they could address attendees’ concerns.
“They came, but before we could say anything, question number one, they were gone,” Ponzo said. “What a missed opportunity.”
Audience members chimed in to agree.
Representatives from the offices of U.S. Reps. John McGuire, R-Goochland County; Morgan Griffith, R-Salem; and Ben Cline, R-Botetourt County; and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., attended the first portion of the meeting but left before the question-and-answer session.
Pat Balmer, Karen Balmer’s sister-in-law, attended the meeting in part because she wanted to ask questions of the representatives. By the end of the meeting, she didn’t feel that she’d gotten any answers, she said.
Her husband was in the Marines but died of cancer four years ago. Many of her family members served in the military as well, and she’s spent many years advocating for benefits for veterans.
The care her husband received at the Salem VA was exceptional, she said, but now she has questions.
“We had so many questions about what’s going to happen to the patients and the workers and the overall VA about what’s about to happen. We felt like we needed to get answers,” Pat Balmer said.
Both Pat and Karen Balmer tried to visit Cline’s office in Staunton earlier this week, but they said no one was there to even answer the door. Karen Balmer said she has tried to call his office on multiple occasions. Her calls were rarely returned.
Cardinal News contacted Cline’s office to inquire about constituent concerns about the recent VA job cuts and to seek his response to the criticisms expressed at the Salem VA town hall.
Cline’s office provided a statement from the congressman: “Supporting our veterans has always been a top priority of mine. From the very beginning, I have worked tirelessly in the House to ensure that the men and women who served our nation receive the benefits they’ve earned.
“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to champion legislation to fully protect veterans’ benefits, while also working to increase the ability of the VA to efficiently deliver the highest quality care and services. Our veterans stood up for us, and I will continue to stand up for them.”
The same questions were sent to the offices of McGuire and Griffith. Both responded with statements affirming their support of veterans in their respective districts, but did not directly answer any questions.
A spokesperson from Kaine’s office said that their staff had not been invited by the Salem VA to participate in the town hall. They sent the following statement:
“Senator Kaine appreciates hearing from Virginians, and our office is always available to assist constituents, including veterans, who need help with a federal agency. The senator’s staff was invited and participated in a congressional briefing hosted by the Salem VA Medical Center. Immediately after the briefing, our staff attended a veteran town hall organized by the Salem VA but was not invited to play any role in that event. Our office will continue to remain engaged with the Salem VA to ensure veterans can access the care they need.”