The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is facing what a watchdog report calls the sharpest annual rise in staffing shortages since it began facility-level reporting in 2018, while agency officials said the report provides an inaccurate picture of the workforce.
In its annual review, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported on Aug. 12 that all 139 medical centers reported staffing shortages in fiscal 2025 that were defined as “severe.” The total number of occupations this designation applied to was 4,434, which represents a 50 percent jump from the previous year’s 2,959.
The term “severe shortage” refers to jobs that are difficult to recruit or retain, according to the report, which notes that it’s not the same as a vacancy….