Barrett Visits Ann Arbor VA To Discuss Challenges for Veterans and Providers
Ann Arbor, Mich. – Today, Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) visited the Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., to hear directly from veterans, frontline staff, and medical center leadership about the challenges they are facing. Barrett also brought with him staff from the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, which he leads in Congress and has oversight of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system to be rolled out in Michigan in 2026.
“Like many veterans, I have concerns about how changes in workforce at the VA could impact the quality of care, access to benefits, and success of the upcoming EHR rollout at VA medical centers in Michigan and across the country,” said Barrett. “These are issues I take seriously and am committed to solving in Congress. Today’s visit allowed me to listen to those directly providing care to our veterans. It also served as an important step in the process to gather critical information that will inform our work on the EHR rollout. Ultimately, I am striving to ensure those caring for our nation’s heroes have every resource they need while providing oversight and accountability to keep the promises we made to the veteran community.”
BACKGROUND:
In February, the VA announced the dismissal of more than 2,400 employees in probationary or non-mission critical positions, which included dozens of Michigan veterans working at care centers across the state. In response, Barrett sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins requesting a review of the agency’s process to guarantee only those who have truly underperformed and not met the expectations of their assignment are relieved of duty.
Days later, a leaked memo revealed plans for the Department of Veterans Affairs to potentially reduce the workforce by as many as 80,000 employees. This comes at a time when the agency announced it will complete deployment of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system at nine additional medical facilities, bringing the total to go live in 2026 to 13, with complete deployment of the EHR at all VA medical facilities as early as 2031. This includes the medical centers in Battle Creek, Saginaw, Detroit, and Ann Arbor.
Today’s visit and discussion was centered around how Congress can best help VA medical centers in Michigan prepare and mitigate any consequences of potential operational changes in the coming months. Barrett reinforced his commitment to working with Secretary Collins and Chairman Bost to ensure any changes do not interfere with our obligation to deliver the highest level of care and attention to our veterans.
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