The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to eliminate as many as 35,000 health care positions this month, according to reports from Forbes. The cuts primarily affect unfilled positions, including doctors, nurses, and support staff roles across the agency’s health care system.

The Washington Post obtained details of the planned workforce reduction through an internal memo, interviews with VA staffers, and conversations with congressional aides. The memo, which was reportedly shared with regional leaders last month, outlined the scope and timeline of the job eliminations.

VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz confirmed the job cuts to The Washington Post, stating that the agency would eliminate approximately 26,400 unfilled positions that he described as “mostly COVID-era roles that are no longer necessary.” According to Kasperowicz, the move will have no effect on VA operations or the way the department delivers care to veterans, as the agency is simply eliminating open positions that are no longer needed.

The cuts are expected to reduce the health care workforce to as few as 372,000 employees, representing a 10% reduction from last year’s staffing levels. This significant decrease in the overall workforce reflects the agency’s effort to right-size its operations following the pandemic era, when health care demands and staffing needs were substantially different.

This latest round of downsizing follows an earlier wave of cuts that took place in July of this year. During that reorganization, the VA eliminated about 30,000 jobs, though those reductions were accomplished mostly through buyout offers and attrition rather than through the elimination of open positions. The July cuts were part of a mass reorganization effort, though the agency ultimately made two-thirds fewer employee cuts this fiscal year than it had initially targeted.

In addition to the workforce reductions, the VA is also expected to eliminate some of its 18 regional offices, according to four unnamed sources who spoke with The Washington Post. Those sources indicated that an announcement regarding the regional office closures could be made as early as next week, though the agency has not officially confirmed these plans.

The planned eliminations come at a time when the VA is reevaluating its organizational structure and attempting to streamline operations. While the spokesperson emphasized that the cuts involve positions that remain unfilled and are no longer necessary, the scale of the reduction has drawn attention from government reporters and congressional observers who are monitoring the agency’s restructuring efforts.