The inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report on Tuesday revealing staffing shortages across the veterans’ health care system, which will be exacerbated by the Trump administration’s decision to slash staffing.
The audit determined that all 139 of the medical center campuses within the VA system reported that they lack workers and that reports of severe shortages for certain positions are up 50% from the previous fiscal year. It also indicated that 94% of VA facilities report severe staffing shortages for medical officers, while 79% reported a shortage of nurses.
VA Secretary Doug Collins
Astonishingly, this only includes data collected through April, meaning that the Trump administration’s cuts are not fully reflected in the assessment. Many workers were pushed to take buyouts triggered by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, costing taxpayers millions.
In a statement to Daily Kos after this story was published, VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz claimed “the results are completely subjective, not standardized and unreliable.”
VA Secretary Doug Collins has pushed for cuts to the system for months, despite the 9 million veterans who rely on the agency.
“The Office of the Inspector General’s report today confirms our fears: VA and veterans are worse off under Doug Collins’s leadership,” Rep. Mark Takano, ranking chair for House Democrats on the Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “Instead of making VA an employer of choice, Secretary Collins continues to vilify the VA workforce and strip them of their rights. Now, VA is facing critical staffing shortages across the country, leading to decreased access and choice for veterans. Veterans deserve and have earned better.”
Related | Veterans face dire new health care crisis thanks to Trump
Recently released data has shown that doctors are choosing not to work in the VA system because of this ongoing crisis. Between January and March of President Donald Trump’s second term, approximately 2,000 doctors were offered jobs in the VA system, with nearly 40% turning down their offers. This caused the turndown rate to skyrocket to a 400% increase from President Joe Biden’s term.
Trump started the process of cutting VA services early in his second term, pairing the attack on resources needed by veterans with a bigoted policy to drum out transgender service members.
While he’s repeatedly claimed to support the troops, Trump’s actions prove otherwise—first by referring to deceased veterans as “suckers” and “losers,” and now by stripping living veterans of their health care.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a statement from VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz.
