Severe health care staffing shortages at the Department of Veterans Affairs are on the rise, according to an annual watchdog report.
VA’s Office of Inspector General found that Veterans Health Administration facilities reported more than 4,400 severe staffing shortages so far in fiscal year 2025 — a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
At least 20% of VHA facilities surveyed by the inspector general’s office reported severe staffing shortages for more than 40 occupations. That’s the highest number of occupations with severe staffing shortages in recent years.
All 139 VHA facilities surveyed by the inspector general’s office identified staffing shortages.
About 94% of facilities reported a severe occupational staffing shortage for medical officer positions, and 79% of facilities reported severe shortages for nurses. Both positions have been on the VA OIG’s list of severe shortages since 2014, even though the VA has direct-hire authority to fill these positions more quickly.
“Despite the ability to make noncompetitive appointments for such occupations, VHA continues to experience severe occupational staffing shortages for these occupations that are fundamental to the delivery of health care,” the report states.
About 57% of VHA facilities reported a severe staffing shortage for psychologists, the highest rate for clinical positions. About 58% of facilities reported severe staffing shortages for police officers, the highest rate for any non-clinical position.
VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz said in a statement that the VA OIG’s report “is not based on actual VA health care facility vacancies and therefore is not a reliable indicator of staffing shortages.”
“The report simply lists occupations facilities feel are difficult for which to recruit and retain, so the results are completely subjective, not standardized and unreliable,” Kasperowicz said
Kasperowicz said the VA currently has a 14% vacancy rate for doctors, and 10% vacancy rate for nurses — lower than vacancy rates in most private health care systems and lower than the VA’s vacancy rates under the Biden administration.
“VA wait times and backlogs got worse under President Biden and are getting better under President Trump,” Kasperowicz said.
The VA saw record turnover among its health care workforce at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The VHA’s Acting Under Secretary for Health, Steven Lieberman, told the VA OIG that VHA “has no comments,” because the report offers no recommendations. Lieberman added that VHA “appreciates the OIG’s comprehensive review.”
Senate VA Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said the report shows “staffing shortages at the department are getting significantly worse, including critical veterans’ health care positions and essential jobs that keep VA facilities running.”
“This report confirms what we’ve warned for months — this Administration is driving dedicated VA employees to the private sector at untenable rates,” Blumenthal said.
House VA Committee Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-Calif.) said the report shows that critical staffing shortages are “leading to decreased access and choice for veterans.”
The report doesn’t fully capture the impact of VA’s plans to reduce its total headcount.
The latest VA data shows about 7,500 employees in veteran-facing jobs have left the department so far this fiscal year.
That includes a net loss of 1,720 registered nurses, nearly 1,150 medical support assistants, more than 600 physicians, nearly 200 police officers, nearly 80 psychologists and nearly 1,100 veteran claim examiners.
Kasperowicz said the net loss of 7,500 employees in veteran-facing jobs so far this fiscal year is the result of attrition, and that the department expects to rehire for these roles.
The VA is also bringing fewer employees on board. The VA’s workforce dashboard shows the department is seeing a 45% decrease in job applications submitted between fiscal 2025 and 2024, and a 56% reduction in new employees starting jobs.
More broadly, the VA is on track to shed nearly 30,000 employees through attrition by the end of the fiscal year. The department says these positions are mostly administrative roles, and it does not intend to fill them once employees leave.
The VA says it is no longer considering a “department-wide” reduction-in-force to cut more than 80,000 positions. VA Secretary Doug Collins says the staff reductions will not impact veteran care or benefits.
The VA OIG wrote that its report, based on data collected in March and April, does not fully reflect the impact of employees leaving under the deferred resignation program and the department’s plans to reduce staffing through attrition.
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