Blumenthal Calls on Independent Watchdog to Investigate Impact of Trump VA Cuts on Care for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries & Disorders

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete an independent audit to determine the impact of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins’ slashing and demoralizing workforce directives on spinal cord injuries, disorders, and diseases (SCI/D) care at VA. This follows testimony from veterans and caregivers during a Committee hearing in September, who stressed their concerns about the impact Collins’ cuts are having on the specialized care they rely on from VA.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) system of care for veterans with spinal cord injuries, disorders, and diseases (SCI/D) is a critical component of VA’s health care system, leveraging highly specialized staff to provide high quality care for veterans with some of the highest levels of health care need,” the Senator wrote in a letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. “VA direct care is widely considered the best health care provider for veterans and has helped extend the lifespan of veterans with SCI/D by decades. As such, I am deeply concerned about the impact VA Secretary Doug Collins’ attacks on the Department’s personnel are having on the integral, already understaffed SCI/D workforce.”

Blumenthal cited hearing testimony from Paralyzed Veterans of America, detailing data they provided pointing to dire staffing shortages for SCI/D care under the Trump Administration’s leadership: “According to Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), VA should be operating roughly 990 SCI/D beds, yet, due to staffing shortages, the current number of operational beds has shrunk to 639. PVA also reported that, as of July 2025, VA was short 896 of the 2475 acute care nurses (thirty-six percent) and 23 of the 311 long-term care nurses (seven percent) recommended for adequately staffing its SCI/D system of care. Though staffing shortages among VA SCI/D staff are not new, veteran and caregiver testimony from a September 17, 2025, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing raised concerns regarding increased shortages resulting from Secretary Collins’ hiring freeze, staffing caps, and other attacks on the VA workforce. Despite the concerns raised by veterans and caregivers experiencing these shortages firsthand, VA witnesses at this hearing refused to answer even the simplest of questions regarding SCI/D staffing – obstructing Congressional oversight and reneging on promises of transparency.”

Witnesses also expressed their concerns with the impact of Secretary Collins’ hiring freeze and caps on staffing: “Congress must ensure the Veterans Health Administration is fully funded. In addition to budget cuts, Congressionally allocated funds for special diagnoses, like ALS, cannot be spent due to VA-imposed hiring freezes and caps. Can that be corrected? These funding shortfalls have had a direct and devastating impact on my health and safety,” said Shelly Hoover, EdD, a U.S. Navy veteran with service-connected ALS.

During the September hearing, Blumenthal pressed VA officials to share additional information about SCI/D care at VA and its specialized workforce. These officials were unwilling or unable to answer multiple basic questions about SCI/D care provided to veterans—including the extent to which staffing shortages have been impacted by Secretary Collins’ disastrous workforce directives. While VA officials promised to provide data and answers to Blumenthal’s questions following the hearing, they have not yet provided this information to the Senator or the Committee.

Because VA has failed to provide Congress and veterans with this information, Blumenthal is calling on GAO to conduct an independent audit looking into shortages among VA SCI/D staff since January 2025, including among providers, nurses, social workers, and recreational therapists. He also asked for an assessment of the impacts VA’s hiring freeze, probationary firings, staffing caps, deferred resignation program, and staff demoralization have had on SCI/D staffing. This includes examining VA SCI/D staff being asked to provide coverage for other service lines experiencing staffing shortages, thereby exacerbating SCI/D’s own staffing shortages, and changes in the number of operational VA SCI/D beds since January 2025.

The full text of the Senator’s letter is available here and below.

Dear Mr. Dodaro,

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) system of care for veterans with spinal cord injuries, disorders, and diseases (SCI/D) is a critical component of VA’s health care system, leveraging highly specialized staff to provide high quality care for veterans with some of the highest levels of health care need. VA direct care is widely considered the best health care provider for veterans and has helped extend the lifespan of veterans with SCI/D by decades. As such, I am deeply concerned about the impact VA Secretary Doug Collins’ attacks on the Department’s personnel are having on the integral, already understaffed SCI/D workforce.

According to Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), VA should be operating roughly 990 SCI/D beds, yet, due to staffing shortages, the current number of operational beds has shrunk to 639. PVA also reported that, as of July 2025, VA was short 896 of the 2475 acute care nurses (thirty-six percent) and 23 of the 311 long-term care nurses (seven percent) recommended for adequately staffing its SCI/D system of care. Though staffing shortages among VA SCI/D staff are not new, veteran and caregiver testimony from a September 17, 2025, Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs hearing raised concerns regarding increased shortages resulting from Secretary Collins’ hiring freeze, staffing caps, and other attacks on the VA workforce. Despite the concerns raised by veterans and caregivers experiencing these shortages firsthand, VA witnesses at this hearing refused to answer even the simplest of questions regarding SCI/D staffing – obstructing Congressional oversight and reneging on promises of transparency.

Because the Department refuses to provide Congress and veterans with information on the status of VA’s SCI/D system of care under the Trump Administration, I write to ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to complete an independent audit focusing on the following:

• Staffing shortages among VA SCI/D staff – including providers, nurses, social workers, and recreational therapists – since January 2025, including an assessment of the impacts VA’s hiring freeze, probationary firings, staffing caps, deferred resignation program, and staff demoralization have had on SCI/D staffing.
• VA SCI/D staff being asked to provide coverage for other service lines experiencing staffing shortages, thereby exacerbating SCI/D’s own staffing shortages.
• Changes in the number of operational VA SCI/D beds since January 2025.
• VA’s delays in implementing Title I, Subtitle B of Public Law 118-210, the Elizabeth Dole 21^st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, and how these delays have impacted veterans with SCI/D.

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