HARTFORD, CT — Nearly a decade after losing her son while he awaited treatment through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Stephanie Keegan stood in Hartford’s Minuteman Park with fellow veterans and advocates, protesting proposed federal job cuts that she and others say would devastate care for those who served.
Keegan’s son, Daniel, died at age 28 on Jan. 8, 2016. The 8-year Army veteran had served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
After waiting 16 months for placement in a treatment program, he died two weeks before his scheduled admission due to an infection caused by heroin use.
Keegan said he had tried to endure, but lacked access to timely support.
Keegan joined dozens of protestors responding to a leaked internal memo revealing plans to eliminate approximately 83,000 jobs from the VA — around 17% of the agency’s workforce. She said Daniel died when the VA had that staffing level, and questioned how the system could function with fewer personnel.
Veteran Vincent Ferri of Sons of Liberty-CT shared concerns based on his own experience. Ferri, a Vietnam veteran, said he developed prostate cancer from exposure to Agent Orange.
Though initially avoiding the VA system out of fear it would be bureaucratically overwhelming, he eventually sought treatment after new eligibility rules were created under the PACT Act.
Ferri said he worries about the future for veterans seeking similar support.
With proposed job cuts targeting both medical and administrative roles — including schedulers and maintenance staff — veterans and lawmakers warned that access to care could collapse.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, a Marine veteran, said the cuts affect all roles necessary for effective care.
He said VA staffing is built around integrated teams, and that eliminating tens of thousands of positions undermines the system’s ability to treat veterans adequately.
Blumenthal has introduced the Putting Veterans First Act, a bill that would reinstate improperly terminated VA employees, prevent arbitrary dismissals, and add protections for veterans and military spouses in civil service roles.
The proposal includes requirements for publishing wait times for private sector care and expanding mental health access for VA workers.
Senator Chris Murphy, D-CT, also backed the legislation and highlighted that veterans hold federal jobs at five times the rate of private-sector workers — around 30%.
Murphy said efforts to dismantle the civil service structure directly harm veterans and their career pathways after military service.
Murphy warned that broader political rhetoric — including attacks on civil servants, suppression of speech, and opposition to diversity — undercuts the principles veterans have defended. He said those who serve do so for the ideals of the country, not its institutions alone.
As lawmakers prepare for debate over the VA budget and staffing levels, Keegan and others continue pressing for reforms. They argue that any erosion of veteran services risks further loss, and that structural failure will only increase the cost — not reduce it.
