MADISON, Wis. — Reporting last week from WPR details how DOGE cuts to the VA under the Trump administration, which Derrick Van Orden personally called for, has resulted in 30,000 VA jobs cut nationwide and caused staffing shortages at every VA hospital in Wisconsin. VA hospitals in Wisconsin continue to suffer from staffing shortages, forcing veterans to experience frequent appointment cancellations because there are not enough providers.  At a campaign event last week, Derrick Van Orden stood alongside VA Secretary Doug Collins as he encouraged VA facilities to hire new staff — the exact opposite recommendation Van Orden called for almost exactly a year ago.WPR: VA Secretary says Wisconsin VA hospitals are hiring, after Trump administration cut 30K positions
The head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said understaffed Wisconsin medical centers won’t be blocked from filling needed positions. 
The comment comes less than a year after the agency cut nearly 30,000 jobs across the federal VA system, including some positions in Wisconsin.
VA Secretary Doug Collins on Thursday held a roundtable with Wisconsin veterans at the American Legion in Sparta before a planned visit to the Tomah VA Medical Center.
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When asked by reporters about the severe staffing shortages highlighted last fall in a report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Collins told reporters that there is no hiring freeze at VA facilities.
“The part that we had with staffing issues in the VA is making sure we have the right people at the right place,” he said. “Just simply hiring to be hiring is not a solution to anything. So for us, at Tomah or anywhere else, if they need the person, from maintenance to a cardiologist, they can hire that person.”