CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A Charlottesville woman who is suffering from spina bifida, a rare spinal condition, is no longer receiving benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs following federal cuts, and told Cville Right Now she is not sure what the future holds.

Jemel Snyder said that, without her in-home nursing team, her only option for care this week was to go to the UVA Health emergency room Thursday.

Now, both Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Rep. John McGuire, a Republican, are working to help Snyder, who said doctors believe her condition is the result of her father’s exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam.

“I’ve had some deep concerns about cuts in resources to the VA,” said U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, who is doing what he can to help. “We’ve got VA facilities that have recently opened in Virginia that are minimally staffed because of DOGE cuts (Department of Government Efficiency) that were made last year and … some of the challenges are directly connected to the Trump administration’s decisions to let so many people go, but we are going to continue to work with Ms. Snyder and see if we can figure out a way to provide assistance.”

According to a Senate Committee of Veterans’ Affairs report, the VA lost more than 40,000 employees in fiscal year 2025. Of those, 88 percent were health care staff, including doctors, nurses, mental health clinicians, and other frontline employees. Fiscal year 2025 also marked the first annual net loss of staff in VA history.

Kaine declined to discuss specifics of Snyder’s situation, citing privacy concerns.

“We are working with her,” he said. “We think it’s an unfortunate situation.”