VA layoffs leave former employee worried about the future of veteran care

SALT LAKE CITY — Greg House said he had a suspicion he was going to be let go the moment he received a press release from Veteran Affairs about laying off 1,000 probationary employees.

“I went into work the next morning to find that I did have an email that was sent to me over an hour after the end of my work day,” House said. “Citing performance as the reason for terminating me.”

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House is a disabled veteran who worked for VA Salt Lake City Health Care. He said he was about six weeks from the end of his probationary period when he received his termination email.

While clearing out his desk, House looked over his most recent performance evaluation. He said he received nothing but outstanding for all metrics, as well as two performance awards.

House said this news felt like a massive betrayal. He said he was in the Navy for five years before he was hired as a public affairs specialist.

While he can use his remaining paid vacation and compensatory time, House said he will not receive any severance.

“I will be applying for unemployment and just getting on the train of applying for jobs and hoping to find something as quickly as possible.”

The future of Veteran Affairs after the layoffs

House said that these layoffs have left him wary about the future of Veteran Affairs.

“You can fire as many people as you want. The workload isn’t going to change,” House said. 

He said while he’s not aware of any health professionals who were let go, this could still have massive implications on how veterans get their care.