Nearly 170 current and former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors, psychologists, and health professionals have issued a rare collective warning that recent policy changes could undermine healthcare for millions of veterans.
In a letter to Congress and VA leaders, the group — calling their statement the “Lincoln Declaration” — said staffing cuts and rapid expansion of private-sector care are weakening the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system. Some VA facilities, they cautioned, could be forced to close, pushing veterans into costlier community systems less equipped to handle their needs.
The concerns come amid ongoing staff shortages and unit closures across VA hospitals. Although the administration says the shift expands choice and speeds access, critics note billions are being moved away from public VA care and into private providers.
Doctors highlighted research showing veterans treated in VA facilities often have better outcomes — including lower suicide and mortality rates — than those seen in private clinics.
Veterans groups have voiced support for the physicians, warning that the VA’s specialized care is itself part of the promise America makes to those who serve.
The VA maintains it is improving services, pointing to infrastructure upgrades and faster access to outside doctors. But the protesting physicians insist that hollowing out the VA’s own system risks breaking faith with veterans who depend on it.
