WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving its police force into a centralized law-enforcement chain of command and raising pay classifications in an effort to stabilize recruitment, retention and security across the nation’s largest integrated health care system.
The changes affect more than 5,000 VA police employees responsible for emergency response, crime prevention, investigations and safety programs across VA medical facilities.
The department framed the restructuring as a response to longstanding management and classification problems previously identified by VA’s Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office.
VA police officers had been managed by individual medical facilities and reported to medical center personnel rather than law-enforcement leaders, creating inconsistent standards across the system, according to the department.
In some facilities, VA police officers had been assigned non-police duties, including valet parking, the department reported.
The decentralized structure also complicated hiring, retention and promotion, contributing to the loss of senior officers to other law-enforcement agencies.
VA is placing the police force under a dedicated assistant secretary within the new Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness. The reorganization is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal 2026.
The department expects the new structure to standardize training, enforce discipline more consistently and manage staffing needs across VA facilities nationwide.
VA also is conducting a review of police job responsibilities and requirements, with plans to classify officers at higher pay grades based on the work performed.
The department raised the entry-level grade for police officers to GS-6 and created positions running from GS-6 through the senior executive service level, a move intended to create clearer career ladders and make VA police jobs more competitive with other law-enforcement roles.
A recent VA police job posting drew 3,800 applicants nationwide, which the department cited as an early sign that the changes may be improving recruitment.
“Keeping the millions of Veterans, families, caregivers and employees who visit VA facilities safe is our most important responsibility,” VA Secretary Doug Collins stated.
Collins said the reforms are designed to create “clear lines of authority, accountability and career progression” while improving recruitment, retention and safety at VA facilities.
The changes mark a significant operational shift for VA policing, moving authority away from individual medical centers and toward centralized law-enforcement management.
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