Source: VA Press Advisory of October 30, 2025

The current government shutdown has forced nearly 37,000 VA employees to be furloughed or continue to work without pay.

Because VA receives some advance appropriations from Congress, the Department’s Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics, and Vet Centers remain open and in operation normally during the shutdown. Additionally, VA benefits continue to be processed and delivered, including compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits. Burials also continue at VA national cemeteries.

Several important VA services, however, have been stopped because of the shutdown. These include:

• Assistance from the GI Bill Hotline, which has been taken out of service. More than 900,000 have been unable to make contact about their assistance.
• Employees who staff the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program have been furloughed, resulting in more than 100,000 veterans being unable to obtain counseling. The backlog of new applications for the VR&E Program is 61,988 and is growing by the day.
• VA Regional Offices, 56 total, are closed to the public.
• VA’s Manila Regional Office is closed with its legal authority to operate having expired on September 30.
• More than 16,000 service members who are preparing to leave the military cannot receive VA transition briefings, as the contract that provides for this service is not operational during the lapse in appropriations. During this time, transitioning service members will continue to have online access to the full content of the TAP briefing.
• VA National Cemeteries across the country, a total of 157, are no longer performing grounds maintenance or placing permanent headstones.