Laid off from McKesson.

What McKesson layoffs have meant for employees

If you work in a McKesson distribution center, the lead time before a closing is worth using. At Rock Hill and Rogers it ran from a September 2024 heads-up to layoffs in March. McKesson's letter to Minnesota about Rogers, as the Star Tribune reported it, said affected workers had been told about the potential for other jobs within McKesson. If you're in a closing building, it's worth asking HR in writing which openings you'd qualify for. If you've been offered severance, you can also ask whether taking one of those jobs, or turning one down, would change it. The same letter said those workers had no bumping rights, the seniority rule that lets someone whose job is cut take a less senior colleague's place, so years served wouldn't by themselves let anyone claim another person's job. Knowing that far ahead is its own kind of rough, and it's still more room to plan than a same-day exit leaves.

McKesson explained the Rock Hill closing in efficiency terms, telling The Herald it was changing its broader operations to become more efficient while simplifying its infrastructure. In broader remarks to investors, as the Star Tribune reported them, Chief Executive Brian Tyler said weakness in primary care markets in the "post-COVID environment" had hurt medical-surgical profit and that the company had "taken effective actions to drive operational efficiencies." Medical-Surgical described a network of 15 distribution centers and two redistribution centers in August 2026, according to Richmond BizSense. If you're in Medical-Surgical and a transfer comes up, you can ask which of those sites it would be, what moving would cost you and whether the company would pay for any of it.

On the office and technology side, cuts have shown up as programs in McKesson's filings, sized in dollars. The technology segment program in the fiscal 2026 10-K runs to the end of fiscal 2029, and the Corporate initiatives in the 10-Q for April to June 2026 are aimed at enterprise support functions through fiscal 2028, so a quiet stretch doesn't mean either program is finished. Neither filing puts a number of jobs on them. When CoverMyMeds cut positions, McKesson's statement to WOSU spoke of "some individuals" and tied the cuts to moving resources away from some legacy services, so if you work there, it's fair to ask whether your product counts as one of them. You can ask which functions a program covers, whether your role is among them and when decisions are expected.

For Medical-Surgical's people, the change on the table is the planned separation. Its plans, as Richmond BizSense reported them, are to leave McKesson under the Wellverse name, keep its headquarters in the Richmond area and go public, with the offering estimated for the second half of 2027. If the separation goes ahead and you work there, consider asking HR which company would employ you afterward, whether your service years would carry over for benefits and whether your current benefit elections would move with you.

If you're trying to find the notice for your site, you can search our WARN tracker under McKesson and McKesson Medical-Surgical and then match the city and the date. If you're filing for unemployment, our pages on Texas, New York and South Carolina benefits cover how to file in those states. If a package lands in front of you, it can help to ask what job search support comes with it, how long you have to decide and whether any of the terms can move.

A sourced history of McKesson layoffs

• April to June 2026, Corporate restructuring approved

  McKesson approved multi-year initiatives to realign enterprise support functions in its Corporate unit through organizational changes, process changes and automation, with most of the expected charges for severance, employee and exit costs and completion due by the close of fiscal 2028, per the June 2026 10-Q.

• May 2026, West Seneca, New York distribution center closing

  McKesson set its West Seneca site on North America Avenue to shut between May and June, affecting 78 of its 83 employees, Buffalo Business First reported. The state notice in our tracker is dated February 10 and lists May 18 for the closing.

• March 2026, CoverMyMeds positions cut

  McKesson told WOSU it was moving resources at CoverMyMeds, its Columbus-based health software business, from some legacy services toward modern technology, and that the employment of some individuals there would be impacted.

• January to March 2026, technology segment restructuring approved

  McKesson approved a Prescription Technology Solutions initiative that includes headcount reductions and closing or shrinking some facilities, with $200 million to $250 million in expected charges, the fiscal 2026 10-K says, and booked $61 million against it from April to June, per its next quarterly report.

• March 2025, Rock Hill and Rogers distribution center closings

  McKesson Medical-Surgical told workers in September 2024 that its centers in Rock Hill, South Carolina and Rogers, Minnesota would close, and its December notices covered 179 and 83 jobs, with layoffs from early March, The Herald and the Star Tribune reported. The company said severance and career transition help would be offered.

• July to September 2024, enterprise cost program approved

  McKesson approved enterprise-wide initiatives to modernize its technology service operating model and reduce costs in Corporate, Medical-Surgical and North American Pharmaceutical, expecting $650 million to $700 million in charges, according to its annual report for fiscal 2026.

• June 2023, New Castle, Pennsylvania distribution center closing

  McKesson's notice to Pennsylvania for its New Castle pharmaceutical distribution center covered 135 employees and gave an effective date of June 1, WPXI reported.

• March 2023, CoverMyMeds cuts 815 jobs

  CoverMyMeds announced 815 layoffs and the closing of an Arizona office, while a spokesperson said Columbus would stay a place where the company planned to hire and grow, WOSU reported.

• March 2016, 1,600 US jobs cut

  McKesson said it had cut about 4% of its US workforce after losing some key customers and was offering severance benefits and outplacement services, Reuters reported in Fortune.

What to do if you're laid off from McKesson

• File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. McKesson's biggest hubs: Texas, New York, South Carolina. Somewhere else? Every state is here.
• Apply for financial and hardship assistance. Unemployment supplements income, but food benefits, health coverage and utility help are often available as well. Here's some of what McKesson's hub states run: Texas, New York, South Carolina, and every other state is here.
• Mind the health insurance window. Losing coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, and an ACA plan usually beats unsubsidized COBRA. Compare your options before the employer coverage lapses, and read how the COBRA clocks run if you are weighing it seriously.
• Get your real runway number. Severance plus savings divided by reality. The calculator takes five minutes.
• Know which clocks are already running. Severance review windows, COBRA election, visa grace periods, and 401(k) rollovers all run on federal deadlines that started at termination. All five deadlines are here.