Veterans and their supporters gathered in La Jolla Friday to protest cuts to hospitals here and across the country that provide care to those who have served in the military.
For Navy veteran Yusef Miller, the costs of Veterans Affairs cutbacks far outweigh the benefits.
“This is a crime against the service members who are serving today and have served in the past and that will serve in the future,” said Miller, who held a flag aloft as motorists honked to show their support. “Their healthcare should never be in jeopardy. There are people that can’t survive without the healthcare of the VA.”
Miller was one of the people who joined San Diego Veterans for Peace and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7420, which hosted a rally and press conference Friday afternoon in front of La Jolla’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The Trump administration is seeking to cut VA staffing by 30,000 jobs. While that’s significantly less than the initial plan – to slash 80,000 positions, according to the Associated Press – it’s enough for veterans to question how the losses will affect the quality of care at VA centers.
In the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, according to an August report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General, VA medical facilities reported a total of 4,434 “severe occupational staffing shortages,” a 50 percent increase from FY 2024.
Another veteran, retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Livier “Livy” Lazaro, cited shortages across the board, from doctors and nurses to medical assistants and social workers.
“Every one of these losses means a veteran is waiting longer for surgery, a mental health appointment or life-saving care,” she said. “These aren’t just figures. They’re lives.”
Pete Kasperowicz, press secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, disputed the inspector general report.
“This statutorily required report is not based on actual VA health care facility vacancies and therefore is not a reliable indicator of staffing shortages,” he said in an email. “The report simply lists occupations that facilities feel are difficult for which to recruit and retain, so the results are completely subjective, not standardized and unreliable.”
He added that nationwide, the VA’s department-wide vacancy rates for doctors and nurses are 14% and 10%, respectively, numbers that he contends are lower than most other health care systems.
The groups in La Jolla lifted banners to make their point, one urging backers to help them “Save Our VA” and another that read, “Veterans Healthcare Under Assault.”
“To cut any of these programs is going to diminish our way to move forward,” said James Miller, a U.S. Marine Corps vet.
Lazaro has a message both for the Trump administration and other elected officials.
“We held up our oath,” Lazaro said. “We need you to do the same.”
Adrian Childress contributed to this report.
Updated 3:35 p.m. Sept. 6, 2025
