Disability Rights California urges the state to protect veterans following recent actions from the federal administration that will create unnecessary hardship. The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to decrease staff by over 80,000 people and reorganize the agency by August. We recognize the significant intersection between disability and veteran identity status, as well as the need for ongoing healthcare services during administrative changes.

There are 5.27 million veterans with service-related disabilities in the adult U.S. population. Notably, this figure excludes veterans who have disabilities unrelated to their service. DRC’s intake line consistently highlights the significant number of veterans we serve, many of whom face complex healthcare challenges. 

“I'm very concerned about proposed cuts to VA healthcare because they threaten to dismantle essential programs for unhoused veterans, mental health care, suicide prevention, and recovery—setting us back decades in our fight to care for those who’ve borne the battle," said Marcos Villa, a veteran with service-connected disabilities and a senior advocate in DRC's Pathways to Work practice group. "The future of equal rights for transgender veterans, minority veterans, and those exposed to toxic hazards is hanging in the balance."

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system is one of the largest in the country. However, it has faced many challenges and is currently one of 38 governmental programs identified as being at high risk by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Veterans with disabilities are not only greatly burdened by recent healthcare rollbacks to this system, but there is no alternative plan to ensure veterans will have access to proper care. 

Recent healthcare cuts have pit paralyzed disabled veterans against transgender veterans in discussions regarding federal healthcare funding. Importantly, we condemn any attempt to create division between groups of veterans. “This divisive approach does nothing but scapegoat veteran groups and fails to take into consideration the fact that a veteran may be both paralyzed and a member of the transgender community,” said Kendra J. Muller, staff attorney in DRC’s Civil Rights Practice Group. It also harms active-duty military personnel who have been subjected to an outright ban on transgender servicemembers that is now being challenged in the federal court in Talbot v Trump. We strongly support the Constitutional guarantee of equal protection for all service members. 

DRC has outlined five points of concern regarding cuts to the VA:

1. Denial of gender-affirming care: On March 17, 2025, a VA directive stated that “it will phase out medical treatments for gender dysphoria.” This policy targets an estimated 134,300 transgender veterans, with roughly 60% having a disability. The removal of essential healthcare services exacerbates existing disparities, such as a 2025 study which found that transgender veterans experienced high barriers to healthcare access. Furthermore, evidence demonstrates the significant beneficial impact and vital need for gender-affirming care on mental health outcomes of this population.
2. Mental health funding cuts: Proposed funding reductions targeting the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) and other mental health services represent a serious threat to essential veteran support systems. The VCL and 988 already lack truly helpful assistance for mental health. Considering veterans face a documented 57.3% higher risk of death by suicide than the general population, creating better and more robust crisis and mental health services is paramount. Veterans with nonapparent disabilities are greatly burdened by a lack of culturally competent mental healthcare resources. Veterans must be provided with robust mental health service options, so they can make informed choices.
3. Medicaid cuts: The recent threat of Medicaid cuts poses a significant risk to veterans who receive these services. Many veterans, especially those navigating complex service-connected disabilities, depend on Medicaid to access essential health services, often using it to supplement care received through the VHA. Cuts to vital healthcare resources undermine the commitment made to those who have served and sacrificed for the country, often with detrimental consequences to their physical and mental well-being. 
4. VA Job cuts: The recent job cuts at the Department of Veterans Affairs decrease an already stretched workforce and will harm veterans. Further cuts will impact disabled veterans, and compound the ongoing VA understaffing issue and reverse the progress that has been made in addressing the situation. While the VA’s 2024 Staffing Report describes their continued work on chronic staffing shortages, the Report found that increase of staff boosted quantity and quality of health care for disabled veterans, noting that they were able to provide a record-breaking number of healthcare appointments in 2024. Therefore, decreasing an already stretched workforce will harm veterans.
5. Federal Job cuts: Veterans make up over 30% of the federal workforce thanks in part to affirmative action under the 1944 Veterans Preference Act and Veterans Employment Opportunities Act. Notably, 20.5% of employed veterans with a service-connected disability work for the federal government, compared to just 2.1% of nonveterans. Federal programs for disability employment, such as Schedule A, further complicate job cuts. Veterans with disabilities who may still be in a probationary period as a result of Schedule A, may be terminated disproportionally. Loss of a job has a large negative impact on one’s physical and mental well-being, and it can also result in a disruption to an individual’s healthcare.

DRC supports our veterans as they continue to endure the fallout of the federal administration's cuts to critical and life-saving services.

Media Contact

Eric Harris
Associate Executive Director of External Affairs
Disability Rights California
(916) 504-5940
Eric.Harris@disabilityrightsca.org

Disability Rights California (DRC) – Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of drc is to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities. For more information visit: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org.