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		<title>VA begins reversing contract cancellations that support medical care, facilities</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 2025 23:45:57 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[One day after the Department of Veterans Affairs celebrated an estimated $2 billion in savings on canceled contracts, the agency began reversing some of the cancellations that may have affected veterans&#8217; medical care and other benefits, according to multiple sources familiar with the contracts and agency records reviewed by ABC News. &#8220;We were taking in [&#8230;]]]></description>
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<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC ">One day after the Department of Veterans Affairs celebrated an estimated $2 billion in savings on canceled contracts, the agency began reversing some of the cancellations that may have affected veterans&#8217; medical care and other benefits, according to multiple sources familiar with the contracts and agency records reviewed by ABC News.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;We were taking in millions of dollars in contracts to create things like PowerPoint slides and meeting minutes,&#8221; VA Secretary Doug Collins said on Tuesday. &#8220;Millions of dollars in contracts for &#8216;coaching and training.'&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;Don&#8217;t feed the line of what D.C. is wanting to sell you,&#8221; he added. &#8220;We are putting money back to veterans&#8217; health, back to veterans&#8217; benefits. And don&#8217;t let nameless sources, even senators and House members, who want to scare you, and the media, who want to perpetuate the line. We&#8217;re taking care of veterans.&#8221;</p>
<div class="oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX ">
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<div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur " data-testid="prism-caption">
<p><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">A sign marks the headquarters of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., Feb. 20, 2025.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh ">Brian Snyder/Reuters</span></p>
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<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">But the hundreds of contracts set for cancellation included some for legally required technical inspections of medical equipment that produce radiation at VA facilities, including CT scanners, MRI machines and dental X-ray units.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Without annual inspections, some of which are conducted by contractors in part to save the agency money, VA staffers are not permitted to use the equipment.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;We&#8217;re a really good deal for them,&#8221; said one contractor with multiple agency contracts, including several that were initially canceled &#8212; and then reversed by Wednesday afternoon. &#8220;They can&#8217;t afford to have that done in-house.&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Canceling the contracts &#8220;100% will impact care,&#8221; a VA official told ABC News. &#8220;If [the machines] get serviced or a part is replaced, they need to be inspected as well.&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Asked for comment Tuesday, a VA spokesperson told ABC News, &#8220;We&#8217;re reviewing VA&#8217;s various contracts, and we will be canceling many focusing on non-mission critical things like PowerPoint slides, executive support and coaching. Our review is ongoing and not final.&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA healthcare, benefits or beneficiaries,&#8221; the spokesperson added. &#8220;We are always going to take care of veterans at VA. Period.&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Some of the contracts marked for termination on Monday included contracts to provide employee and workplace benefits services to tens of thousands of VA employees and their families. Others included work overseeing hazardous waste disposal, conducting safety inspections at VA medical facilities, supporting cancer programs and burial services, according to agency records review by ABC News.</p>
<div class="oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX ">
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<div class="nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW lZur " data-testid="prism-caption">
<p><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Doug Collins, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to be the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, testifies during his Senate Veterans&#8217; Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh ">Samuel Corum/Getty Images, FILE</span></p>
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<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Some of the contracts marked for termination on Monday included contracts to provide employee and workplace benefits services to tens of thousands of VA employees and their families. Others included work overseeing hazardous waste disposal and conducting safety inspections at VA medical facilities.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Many of these contracts are labeled as some variations of consulting, a sweeping category of federal contracts that the Department of Government Efficiency&#8217;s team has <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/doge-now-saved-65b-federal-funds-impossible-verify/story?id=119174949" target="_blank">aggressively gone after</a> as part of its efforts to cut wasteful government spending.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;Everyone can agree that there is waste, likely fat, and there may very well be some fraud,&#8221; Arthur Mabbett, a disabled veteran and CEO of Mabbett <!-- -->&amp; Associates, a government contractor with dozens of contracts with the VA and other agencies, told ABC News.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;Doing it in a businesslike fashion, rather than pure chaos, which is what they&#8217;re doing right now, would be a better approach,&#8221; said Mabbett, whose company has not had its stop-work orders rescinded as of Wednesday evening.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Some of that work includes working with VA facilities to make sure expansion and renovation projects comply with federal environmental law.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Tuesday slammed Collins&#8217; previous move to cancel the contracts, saying many of those contracts provide &#8220;critical and direct services&#8221; to veterans.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;To say abruptly cancelling these services won&#8217;t impact veterans&#8217; care and benefits is another unrealistic promise from Collins,&#8221; Blumenthal wrote in a statement. &#8220;Make no mistake &#8212; this is just another reckless cost-cutting decision that will harm veterans and taxpayers for years to come.&#8221;</p>
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<p><span class="hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz " data-testid="prism-truncate"><span><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ ">Sen. Richard Blumenthal questions Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to be defense secretary, during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building in Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2025.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span class="gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh ">Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, FILE</span></p>
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<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Agency leaders directed employees to begin terminating hundreds of contracts on Monday, with some stop-work orders issued that evening.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Already, some of those stop-work orders have been rescinded &#8212; one of several DOGE-led efforts across the federal government that have been <a class="zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE " data-testid="prism-linkbase" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-details-musks-doge-agency-raise-questions-scope/story?id=118046176" target="_blank">slowed or partially reversed</a> by various agency leaders.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">&#8220;I like what they&#8217;re doing, I just think they made a mistake, and they need to fix it,&#8221; one contractor told ABC News about the overall DOGE efforts. &#8220;If it goes quickly, I&#8217;ll be happy. And if it takes three to four months, I won&#8217;t be.&#8221;</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">The VA has already gone through two rounds of layoffs: The first affected 1,000 workers, and the second, announced this week, affected 1,400 &#8220;non-mission critical positions,&#8221; according to the agency&#8217;s statement.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Some of those terminated employees were asked to return to work days later, workers told ABC News.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy ">Other layoffs may be on the horizon. On Wednesday, the Trump administration directed agencies to begin preparing for &#8220;large-scale&#8221; layoffs and reorganizations and to present plans for doing so to the Office of Management and Budget by March 13, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.</p>
<p class="EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN "><em class=" ">-ABC News&#8217; Soorin Kim and Nathan Luna contributed to this report.</em></p>
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