The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to reorganize the management structure of the Veterans Health Administration.
The department aims to eliminate redundant layers of bureaucracy, ensure consistent application of policies across all facilities and empower local hospital directors, according to a Dec. 15 VA news release.
The department has briefed Congress on its intent and will provide official congressional notification Dec. 16. The department will announce specific organizational and personnel changes in early 2026, which will occur over the next 18 to 24 months.
“Multiple independent reviews from VA’s Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office and others have underscored the need for reorganizing VHA,” the release said. “Those reviews highlighted governance weaknesses and how the organization’s management structure is rife with middle managers who have overlapping responsibilities, slowing decision-making and creating unnecessary burdens to serving Veterans.”
The reorganization will use that feedback by “reducing duplicative management layers and putting the right people in the right places without reducing staff,” according to the release.
As part of the process, the VHA Central Office will set policy goals and manage finances, oversight and compliance. The Operations Centers and Veterans Integrated Service Networks will implement the central office’s direction and establish operational, quality and performance standards for the department’s more than 1,300 facilities.
Staffing and operations at VA medical centers and clinics will not change. It is not intended to reduce staffing levels, and the VA does not expect a significant change in overall staff numbers once complete. The reorganization will allow the VA to focus on care delivery and result in more defined roles and faster decision-making, the release said.
The announcement came soon after the department confirmed it plans to eliminate about 25,000 open and unfilled roles.
