Brownley, Walz Explore Ways For VA To Increase Recruitment And Retention Of Quality Physicians
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health conducted a hearing entitled, “Healthy Hiring: Enabling VA to Recruit and Retain Quality Providers,” in order to learn more about the root causes of the staffing shortages persistent at the VA and ways in which the Department can boost recruitment and retention of talented providers. House Committee on Veterans Affairs Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-MN) and Subcommittee on Health Ranking Member Julia Brownley (D-CA) released the following statements:
“We must address the staffing challenges at the VA that prevent us from providing the highest quality care to our veterans in a timely manner,” Rep. Brownley said. “Central to achieving this is addressing the Department’s lengthy hiring process and ability to retain workforce talent. We must also address the shortage of space and exam rooms, due to Congress’ failure to authorize new facilities, which has exacerbated hiring challenges and further delayed care for veterans. I am committed to working with the Committee on this bipartisan effort to ensure that the VA has the tools to properly staff its facilities and maintain a high quality workforce to provide our veterans with the best care.”
“Improving VA’s capacity to recruit, hire, and retain talented physicians is central to ensuring a positive veteran experience at the VA,” Rep. Walz said. “The VA has always been a leader in delivering patient-centered care. That is why it is so important our Committee continues its sustained, bipartisan commitment in seeking out the root cause of the Department’s staffing shortage so we may ensure the VA always has the staffing flexibility it needs to employ the best physicians and support staff who will continue a legacy of superior care.”
Ranking Member Brownley’s Opening Statement as Prepared for Delivery:
Thank you Chairman Wenstrup for holding this hearing today.
Last Friday, we passed bipartisan legislation to improve the VA’s ability to hire and retain healthcare providers at VA.
I want to thank Chairman Wenstrup for his leadership, and for being willing to work in a bipartisan way to pass this legislation in the House.
I was pleased that my amendment to include the community based outpatient clinics, nursing homes, and vet centers in the GAO’s succession planning report was adopted. I would like to work with you to get this important legislation passed in the Senate and to the President’s desk without delay.
We passed this legislation because our veterans deserve timely, high-quality healthcare.
I know from talking to staff at the Oxnard CBOC in my district, and with the director at the VA medical facility in West LA that both facilities struggle to hire and retain healthcare providers and HR professionals.
The VA continues to struggle to address staffing shortages at the Oxnard CBOC.
During my meetings with the West LA VA Medical Center, I have heard that HR is one of their biggest challenges, and last we spoke their HR Director Position was unfilled.
The GAO’s testimony and its report on VA’s longstanding human capital challenges confirm what I’ve heard from the veterans in my district and the staff at our local VA medical centers.
Even though we provided the VA with an additional 2.2 billion dollars in the Choice Act to hire additional healthcare staff, VA continues to struggle with recruiting and hiring of providers in the 5 clinical occupations with the largest staffing shortages.
Today we will hear from witnesses who I hope will help us understand the root causes of these staffing issues.
I want to learn about the challenges VA HR professionals face, and challenges that the federal hiring freeze affects VA.
As we know, the hiring freeze does not exempt HR staff, and without HR personnel, I am concerned that the VA will not be able to bring on the health care providers they need to serve veterans.
I want to know if this is having a negative effect on VA’s ability to fill the 45,000 vacancies in VHA.
I also welcome solutions to VA’s human capital challenges from VA and our veteran service organizations. I believe that more must be done to address the lengthy hiring process for healthcare providers. VA must do a better job at hiring and retaining the future health care workforce to care for our veterans.
I look forward to continuing the bipartisan work on this issue, and I yield back.
The Subcommittee Heard From:
Panel 1:
Robert Goldenkoff
Director, Strategic Issues
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Accompanied by:
Debra A. Draper, Ph.D.
Director, Health Care
U.S Government Accountability Office
Max Stier
President and Chief Executive Officer
Partnership for Public Service
Louis J. Celli Jr.
Director
National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division
The American Legion
Steve Young
Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management
Veterans Health Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Accompanied by:
Paula Molloy Ph.D.
Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Workforce Services
Veterans Health Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Statements for the Record
Disabled American Veterans
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
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