U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, visited the Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 21 to hear directly from veterans, front-line 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 which has oversight of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) system to be rolled out in Michigan in 2026.
Barrett said in a release that he has concerns about how the changes in workforce at the VA could affect the quality of care and service delivered to veterans, as as to the success of the upcoming electronic health records system rollout.
“These are issues I take seriously and am committed to solving in Congress,” Barrett said. “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.”
On Feb. 25, Barrett voted to advance the budget resolution. That night, he issued a press release that he voted to do what he said the people of mid-Michigan sent him to Congress to do: “the hard work necessary to lower the cost of living, secure our border, and unleash American energy.”
“Tonight, I voted yes on a budget resolution that brings us one step closer to delivering on those promises,” Barrett said. “This resolution does not cut Medicaid. It does not cut Social Security. In fact, it does not call for cuts to any of the countless programs Democrats are using to fear monger and cause panic for those who rely on them. Instead, it simply establishes a framework for us to begin working on the details of a thoughtful and responsible piece of legislation that will ultimately improve the lives of people across Michigan and the United States.”
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.
Barrett’s visit and discussion 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.
