Senator Richard Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct an independent audit into how recent workforce reductions at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are affecting care for veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). The request follows a September committee hearing where veterans and caregivers voiced concerns about the impact of VA Secretary Doug Collins’ staffing policies on specialized SCI/D care.
In a letter to GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, Blumenthal wrote: “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.”
Blumenthal cited data from Paralyzed Veterans of America indicating that while approximately 990 SCI/D beds should be available at VA facilities, only 639 are currently operational due to staffing shortages. As of July 2025, there was a shortfall of 896 acute care nurses—36 percent below recommended levels—and 23 long-term care nurses—7 percent below recommendations—for adequate SCI/D staffing. These figures were highlighted during testimony at a September 17 Senate Committee hearing.
Veterans and caregivers who testified raised concerns that Secretary Collins’ hiring freeze and other workforce directives have worsened existing shortages. During this hearing, VA officials did not answer basic questions regarding SCI/D staffing levels or provide requested information after promising to do so.
Shelly Hoover, EdD, a U.S. Navy veteran living with ALS, commented during testimony: “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.”
Blumenthal’s letter requests that GAO examine several areas: staffing shortages among providers since January 2025; effects of hiring freezes, probationary firings, staffing caps, deferred resignation programs, and staff demoralization; instances where SCI/D staff have been reassigned to cover other service lines; changes in operational bed numbers; and delays in implementing relevant provisions from recent legislation affecting veteran healthcare.
He stated: “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” these issues.
The full text of Senator Blumenthal’s letter is available online.
