The Veterans Affairs Department has instructed employees in its benefits office not to interact with VA’s cadre of attorneys without direct permission from political leadership, raising questions as to how employees there will seek legal advice.

The Veterans Benefits Administration frequently turns to VA’s Office of General Counsel for questions on adjudicating claims, handling litigation and interpreting new laws and directives. Cheryl Mason, a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins, gave directions that VBA business lines and staff offices “should have NO direct contact with OGC” without first receiving permission from Mason, according to a series of emails recently sent to staff and obtained by Government Executive.

“That means no one in VBA should make a call or send an email to anyone in OGC without prior approval,” according to one such email.

The policy appears to mark the latest effort by the Trump administration to sideline career attorneys. It has fired or pushed out lawyers in key roles at the Justice Department. It has also consolidated the general counsel’s regional presence within the Health and Human Services Department, going from 10 offices down to four and beginning the layoff process for two-thirds of those staff.

Employees were originally told they could not communicate with any attorneys at OGC even at the regional level, but the policy was subsequently loosened to allow for such engagement so long as every interaction was tracked and reported up...

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