VETCOMM CEO Kate Monroe Outlines What's Next in VA Changes to Veteran's Benefits
The first quarter of 2025 has been a rough one for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Secretary Doug Collins when it comes to media coverage and public opinion about its major downsizing efforts. While many have criticized the decision, and rumors about veteran benefit cuts have exploded, one veteran advocate believes this will actually be a good thing for America’s heroes.
One of President Donald Trump’s first courses of action in office was to sign an executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Its goal: modernize federal technology, streamline government operations, reduce diversity programs, and most importantly—cut spending. This initiative has come to fruition in a handful of ways within the VA, but the most publicized and scrutinized has been the department’s decision to slash more than 80,000 employees from its workforce.
Media coverage and veteran chatter on social media suggest a growing fear that these cutbacks will trickle down to veterans—and not in a good way. Commenters have expressed concerns that the VA’s layoffs will affect the quality of veteran care and signal a looming threat to disability benefits.
Despite the criticism, one voice has emerged in defense of the restructuring. Kate Monroe, a 100% disabled Marine Corps veteran and CEO of VETCOMM, a company that helps veterans obtain disability benefits, offered her perspective in an exclusive interview.
What do you think about the VA’s decision to lay off more than 80,000 employees? And how do you think this will affect veterans?
Kate Monroe (KM):
"Well, we basically augmented our staff with little or no oversight. Many of these people were working from home. There were many empty buildings. We created entire departments for DEI—woke initiatives. We spent a ton of time, money, and effort helping migrants over helping our veterans."
Monroe continued by emphasizing the excessive growth in the department’s size:
"Over the last four years, we bloated up to 470,000 employees in the VA, which as Secretary Collins said, is larger than the active duty Army that defends our country. Put that into perspective for yourself."
She questioned the results of such a massive workforce:
"If we bloated up to 470,000 people, why, then, did the backlogs not go down? Why did we not adjudicate more claims? Why didn’t we see more people in the hospitals?"
According to Monroe, the layoffs are not targeting frontline employees serving veterans:
"I think it’s that they’re not getting rid of employees that are day-to-day serving veterans face-to-face. What they’re trying to do is streamline all their people and all of their processes so that there’s money left over to actually help veterans."
As someone active in advocacy and familiar with D.C. policy circles, Monroe argued:
"This is great for veterans. And anyone who tells you it’s not is likely grifting off of this old system."
She also made a comparison between VA executive bonuses and military retirement:
"A person who retires after 20 years is going to end up making roughly $34,000 to $35,000 a year in their retirement. But these people who are in charge of the VA were giving themselves $35,000 bonuses a year. So your bonus is more than you pay a retiree who served in the military?"
What about concerns that the suicide rate didn’t improve under previous leadership?
KM:
"The suicide rate didn’t go down under this watch, so we got all new people to help. The suicide watch didn’t go down. Here at our company, we actually have to do suicide training with all of our employees, because so many people call us who can’t reach the suicide hotline."
She emphasized that systemic problems remain across all aspects of VA service:
"There’s a problem all the way from suicide prevention to their healthcare, to their mental health continuity, to the adjudication of claims. And at every single stop, there’s a big overhaul that needs to get done."
What would you say to veterans who are fearful about these layoffs?
KM:
"I think there’s many businesses out there—I’m one of the only people to serve veterans in the way that we do to help them get rated—that is thinking this is going to be good for veterans. I’ve actually taken the time to look at it."
She warned veterans to be cautious of fear-based narratives:
"All people who are raising alarm bells, who are scaring you and causing anxiety, are in some way grifting from this old guard... Why don’t we let this play out for a few months and see if it doesn’t benefit us before we just completely freak out because people are speaking negativity into our lives?"
Some worry these laid-off employees were vital to handling the influx of PACT Act claims. Who’s handling those now?
KM:
"Most of the PACT Act claims have been made. That’s what people don’t realize. They advertised it. Most of those claims have already come in. Many of them have already been adjudicated."
Monroe also raised concerns about how the VA used new technologies:
"The VA spent a ton of money on AI. AI read people’s claims and automatically denied. I would say 40% of the people who applied under the PACT Act were categorically denied."
She pointed out that many of the newly hired staff were not involved in claims processing:
"Very few of them are to adjudicate claims. Very few. It makes up a microcosm of the entire VA. So they’re not getting rid of adjudicators. They’re getting rid of all of these people who weren’t really working, who don’t really report to anybody, who don’t have a job that’s meeting needs."
What signs will you look for to determine if these DOGE initiatives were successful?
KM:
"The things that will signal that it’s been a good decision is we see an uptick in the number of adjudicated claims, and people have continuity of their mental health care. The suicide rates will go down. Those will be the three big things that I’m going to be looking at rolling out at the end of Q3."
Monroe concluded by emphasizing the urgency of fixing VA shortfalls:
"When companies like ours are having to stand in for suicide prevention, something is very broken at the VA."
While the VA’s downsizing efforts have sparked concern and controversy, Monroe’s perspective offers a refreshing and contrasting take. She believes that these DOGE initiatives could lead to improved services and benefits for veterans. She suggests that the VA may be better positioned to address critical issues, such as claim adjudication, mental healthcare, and suicide prevention. As these efforts unfold, veterans will be watching closely for tangible improvements in the coming months. Ultimately, the success of these initiatives will be measured by their ability to enhance the quality of care and support provided to America’s heroes.