A group of House Democrats has expressed "deep concerns" over the mandate to return to the office issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
They argue that this directive, aimed at enhancing services to veterans, is instead causing "inefficient conditions" for them.
The concerns were voiced in a letter dated March 28, but made public on Monday by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, a Democrat from Texas. The letter, signed by 20 Democrats, seeks clarification from VA Secretary Doug Collins on the "lack of clarity" in the requirement for VA employees to report to work in person.
As reported by The Hill, the letter to Collins, who assumed office on February 5, states, "Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), we have heard from countless stakeholders, veterans and Department of Veterans Affairs employees that by carrying out President [Donald] Trump's blanket return-to-office policy, your administration is damaging veterans and employing trust in the VA, disrupting and impeding veterans access to care, and creating untenable and inefficient conditions for both veterans and the VA workforce."
In a recent interview with Newsmax, Collins responded to the criticism by suggesting that he had inherited a workforce with a "laissez-faire attitude" and a "lack of what we'll call structural awareness." He stated, "When you look at that, you add things that don't need to be added in ways and places that shouldn't have been added and it took away from probably places where we could have done better, which is veterans' care, healthcare, and also veterans' benefits."
On February 3, the VA announced that thousands of its staff members would be returning to the office, marking an end to the remote work arrangements implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Democrats have labeled this mandate as "irresponsible," arguing that it "leaves behind millions of veterans who rely on VA employees working remotely."
In a follow-up conversation with Newsmax on Saturday, Collins defended the changes, acknowledging that they might cause those accustomed to the status quo to "scream a little bit." He said, "I just have this sort of maybe simple mindset that, you know, if you're actually spending billions of dollars and employing hundreds of thousands of people and your goal is to service veterans in their healthcare and their benefits, then maybe that should be the goal."
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