In the VHA’s Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTS) system to provide optimal primary care (PC) for veterans, all members of the PACT are expected to function at the top of their training and scope. That is not the case, however, with nurses, according to a recent survey and analysis.
OIG: VA Remains Challenged in Filling Medical, Other Staff Positions
According to the annual Office of Inspector General (OIG) staffing report, VA hospitals are facing an increase in hiring challenges compared to last year, with facilities reporting a total of 4,712 severe staffing shortages spread across 389 occupations. This is up from 4,434 in fiscal year 2025.
VA Finally Announces Overhaul of Its Decentralized Police Force
After years of ignoring warnings that its decentralized police force resulted in inconsistent standards and lax security at hospitals, VA announced it will be overhauling the force, raising pay rates and creating a unified chain of command that it hopes will solve its long-running issues.
Here Are Factors That Might Alleviate Burnout in VHA PCPs
What would help mitigate burnout and the desire to call it quits among primary-care practitioners in the VHA?
Burned Out by Caring for Too Many Complex Patients, Almost One-Third of VHA PCPs Want to Quit
More than half of VHA primary care practitioners responding to a survey reported being burned out, and nearly one-third said they planned to leave, according to a new study examining the effects of high patient panel fullness.
VA Finally Announces Overhaul of Its Decentralized Police Force
After years of ignoring warnings that its decentralized police force resulted in inconsistent standards and lax security at hospitals, VA announced it will be overhauling the force, raising pay rates and creating a unified chain of command that it hopes will solve its long-running issues.
VA Eliminates LGBTQ Care-Coordinator Positions in Response to Executive Order
VA is eliminating its LGBTQ care coordinator positions, as well as all activities dealing with veterans’ gender identity, according to a leaked internal memo.
VA Staff Reductions Having Strong Impact on Healthcare-Related Acquisitions, Contracts
VA has historically had long-standing challenges in executing and managing its healthcare related acquisitions, and recent staffing cuts will only exacerbate those problems, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
VA Security Guards Consistently Failed to Detect Weapons, Other Contraband in Security Tests
VA police officers tasked with guarding medical facilities consistently failed to detect weapons and other contraband in a security test conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a recent report reveals.
Staffing Challenges at VA Keeping Homeless Veterans From Getting Help They Need
Tens of thousands of homeless and at-risk veterans who are eligible for VA’s largest housing assistance program are not being referred to it because of staffing challenges at VAMCs, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
FY2027 VA Budget Predicts Healthcare Staffing Remaining at Current Levels
The VA funding request for fiscal year 2027 has the department expecting to spend big on new construction in the coming year, with less emphasis on any new hiring. It also continues to slowly bring spending on community care into parity with VA direct medical care.
Legislators Point Out That VA Lost More Than 1,000 Physicians, 3,000 Nurses in Recent Staff Cuts
According to Democrats and some veterans’ advocates, VA staffing cuts are having a direct negative impact on patient care, despite promises from agency leaders that they would not. They also argue that the department’s effort to eliminate vacant positions only serves to camouflage the state of the agency’s staffing deficiency.
Hiring Denials, Delays Still Plague VA Efforts to Bring in New Employees
While VA has officially lifted the hiring freeze that’s been in place for the last year, staff shortages don’t seem to be easing, according to a new report.
Combining VA/DoD Physician Credentialing Could Streamline Process for Some Clinicians
Legislation recently introduced in the Senate seeks to push VA and DoD to adopt a single credentialing system for healthcare providers, eliminating the redundant processes that create unnecessary delays in clinician hiring. It also would theoretically allow clinicians to move more easily between DoD and VA facilities.
House Passes Legislation to Restore Collective-Bargaining Rights of Federal Workers
The House of Representatives has passed legislation that would restore the collective-bargaining rights of federal workers, including the majority of VA employees. Those rights were removed following an executive order from President Donald Trump in March and carried out by VA leadership in August.
Staff Shortages Cause Extensive Delays at VA’s National Teleradiology Program
According to a recent report from the VA’s Office of the Inspector General, staffing shortages and an overreliance by VA facilities on interpreting non-priority cases is causing extensive delays in National Teleradiology Program services, leaving veterans and providers in limbo.
Mapping the VA Dermatology Workforce: Where Veterans Have—and Lack—Access to Skin Care
The VA is one of the largest integrated healthcare systems in the United States, serving nearly 8 million enrolled veterans. Yet, despite veterans’ elevated risk of skin disease and skin cancer, few national studies have examined who VA-affiliated dermatologists (VADs) are or where they practice.
Pioneering VA Scientists Who Changed Medicine—And Won Nobel Prizes
As U.S. researchers Victor Ambros, PhD, and Gary Ruvkun, PhD, receive the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation, the recognition serves as a timely reminder of the VA’s remarkable Nobel Prize legacy.
Primary Care Provider Burnout Linked to Secure Patient Message Volumes in VA Healthcare Systems
Increasing numbers of secure patient messages are overwhelming primary-care providers in the VA health system and appear to be leading to clinician burnout, according to new research.
Indian Health Service Weathered Shutdown OK, but Weaknesses Still Threaten Its Mission
During the 2018 government shutdown, the Indian Health Service was forced to cut tribal services, burned through medical supplies it had on hand and opened discussions into closing some facilities.
Physician Assistants Have Close Ties to Military and Continue to Improve Care Value in MHS, VA
Eugene A. Stead, MD, of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, is credited with assembling the first class of PAs in 1965; all were former U.S. Navy hospital corpsmen and U.S. Army combat medics who had received considerable medical training during their military service, including the Vietnam War. The curriculum was based on what he remembered about the fast-tracking of MD training during World War II.
Primary Care Provider Burnout Linked to Secure Patient Message Volumes in VA Healthcare Systems
Increasing numbers of secure patient messages are overwhelming primary-care providers in the VA health system and appear to be leading to clinician burnout, according to new research.
Called Armistice Day or Veterans Day, November 11 Honors Those Who Served
Armistice Day, observed annually on November 11, marks the anniversary of the armistice signed between the Allied powers and Germany that ended World War I. The agreement took effect on the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918.
Banigan Seeks to Improve Caregiver Support, Inclusion at VA
The past two decades have seen a growing understanding at VA of the importance of the caregiver’s role in veterans’ health. There has been a concerted effort to not only include caregivers in the discussion around a veteran’s treatment but to provide support directly to the caregiver, whether through skills training, mental health counseling or respite care.
VHA Facilities Report 50% Increase in Severe Occupational Staffing Shortages
VHA facilities are reporting a 50% increase in severe occupational staffing shortages from FY 2024 to FY 2025, according to a recent VA Office of the Inspector General report. All VA facilities reported some level of severe staffing shortage, with 94% reporting them in medical officer occupations and 79% in nursing occupations.
Why Are VA Internists More Satisfied With Their Jobs Than Non-VA Counterparts?
Internists who work for the VA have to deal with a burdensome bureaucracy and a complex case load of often older patients with a range of co-morbidities.
Most VA Whistleblower Cases Had Insufficient Evidence to Pursue
There are significant gaps in VA’s monitoring of whistleblower retaliation cases, specifically in whether the department successfully carries through with its settlement agreements, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.
VA vs. Non-VA Behavioral Health Admissions: Quality-Efficiency Trade-Off Found
A new multistate study comparing behavioral health hospitalizations for VA enrollees has found that while VA hospitals tend to keep patients longer and incur higher immediate costs, they achieve lower readmission rates compared to non-VA facilities.
Millions in VA Bonuses Were Paid Out Inappropriately, OIG Reports
Millions of dollars in VA employee bonuses were paid out years after they should have ended due to a lack of department oversight, according to a new report from the Office of the Inspector General.
VA Announces Termination of Most Agreements with Employee Unions
VA has announced that it would be terminating most of its agreements with employee unions, effective immediately.