733 Jobs Erased at Hampton VA — More Than Any Other VA Hospital in America

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) eliminated 733 vacant positions at the Hampton VA Medical Center — more than at any other VA hospital in the country, including 61 physicians, 158 nurses, and 95 mental health roles. AFGE Local 2328 is already pushing back.

Between November and January, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) eliminated 733 vacant positions at the Hampton VA Medical Center (VAMC) — including 61 physician roles, 158 nurse roles, and 95 mental health positions. Hampton lost more vacancies than any other VA facility in the country. The Virginian-Pilot broke the story this morning.

What changed

Federal data reviewed by the Pilot shows 733 positions were cut off Hampton’s org chart, most of them between December 1 and December 17, 2025. The VA calls these “unfilled” roles — but the record doesn’t support that framing:

  • 477 of the 733 positions — more than half — were occupied in 2025 or 2026.
  • 173 had been vacant fewer than 5 months when they were zeroed out.
  • The cuts included 95 mental health positions at a hospital already struggling to meet demand.

Hampton VAMC is the only full VA hospital in Hampton Roads, serving one of the fastest-growing veteran populations in the country.

Nationally, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has reported the VA lost more than 40,000 staff in 2025 — the first net staffing loss in the department’s history. On March 4, U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) told the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee that 18,000 of the positions eliminated nationwide had been filled in 2025 or 2026, directly contradicting the VA’s “old COVID-era vacancy” explanation.

What this means for Hampton VAMC

Our president Stacy Shorter told the Pilot exactly what every employee on the floor already knows:

“I’m horrified by the positions they removed off the org chart. I’m shocked and horrified. I can’t believe the audacity to do that at a hospital that has one of the fastest growing veteran populations in the country, and at a hospital that’s already understaffed before you did that.”

“What’s happening is they’re just doubling everyone’s workload and burning out the providers. We’re just going to keep sending people out to the community. We’re going to keep starving the VA of resources until eventually there’s no VA left.”

The numbers back that up. U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Newport News) — whose district includes Hampton VAMC — confirmed in his statement to the Pilot that it already takes 62 days for a new patient to see a primary care physician at Hampton. Cutting the roles on paper doesn’t fix that — it locks it in.

U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach), who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, told the Pilot she is “deeply concerned about any actions that further reduce the health care workforce, particularly at the Hampton VA,” and said the facility “has not consistently met expectations for timely, high-quality care.”

VA press secretary Quinn Slaven disputes the impact, saying Hampton’s total on-board employment has risen from 2,724 in January 2024 to 3,030 in January 2026 and that “VHA personnel levels will not change as a result of this decision.” That is a claim about headcount today — not about the 733 slots that are no longer available to fill tomorrow.

What you can do

  1. Document understaffing in your unit. If you are carrying doubled workloads, covering vacant lines, or watching patient care slip because positions aren’t being filled, write it down with dates and send it to [email protected]. Your contemporaneous notes are the foundation of every grievance and every congressional inquiry we file.
  2. Call your representative. Rep. Bobby Scott (D, VA-03): (202) 225-8351. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R, VA-02): (202) 225-4215. Tell them what you are seeing on the floor at Hampton VAMC and ask them to demand a written plan from the VA for restoring these positions.
  3. If you are a bargaining unit employee and not yet a member, join now. E-dues sign-up: https://join.afge.org/L2328. Every member strengthens our bargaining position and our ability to represent you.
  4. Come to the next membership meeting. Watch your AFGE email for the date. We will review the Hampton-specific data and the local’s response strategy.

Your union is already on this. Stacy’s quote is in the Pilot today because Local 2328 does not sit quietly while 733 positions vanish off a hospital that is already behind on patient care. We will keep pushing — and we will keep telling the truth in public.

Sources

In solidarity,
AFGE Local 2328 — Representing the employees of Hampton VA Medical Center

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