'I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality,' VA therapists ordered to tell veterans
Source: NPR
April 11, 2025 4:58 PM ET
Panic, fear, uncertainty, and anger. Those are the emotions mental health clinicians who work for the US Department of Veterans Affairs describe as they prepare for the VA's mandatory return-to-office directive. Some are being summoned to offices as soon as Monday, April 14. Representatives from the VA say they are planning to have the back-to-office effort completed by May 5.
For this story, NPR interviewed ten clinicians in VA locations around the country, the majority of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were afraid of losing their jobs. Days before the April 14 return-to-office deadline, many were still unclear about the expectations for return dates. Some had received last minute changes or delays for reporting to an office.
In a memo obtained by NPR, regional leadership at one VA facility offered a script for its therapists to read to patients. "Before we begin our session, I want to inform you that I am currently in a shared office space," reads the script. "While I will do my utmost to maintain your privacy, I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality."
These directives come after the VA indicated it would cut about 80,000 staff in a massive restructuring effort. A widely circulated leaked memo, first obtained by the Associated Press, outlines the effort. In a video addressing the cuts, VA Secretary Doug Collins suggested the agency would eliminate waste and that the "the days of kicking the can down the road are over." He offered reassurance that VA benefits would not be impacted and that the VA "regrets anyone who loses their job."
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/11/nx-s1-5361390/veterans-affairs-mental-health-suicide-trump-doge
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