Ranking Member Takano Statement on Severe VA Staffing Shortages
WASHINGTON— Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takanoissued the following statement after the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administration’s Severe Occupational Staffing Shortages Fiscal Year 2025 report. OIG is required to annually review and identifythe most significant staffing shortages at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities. This report, the 12th of its kind, identifiedsevere occupational staffing shortages at the facility level. In all, VHA facilities reported a total of 4,434 severe occupational staffing shortages, a 50 percent increase from fiscal year 2024. This year, 41 occupations were identified as having severe staffing shortages—the highest number since OIG began surveying individual VHA medical facilities in fiscal year 2018.
“The Office of the Inspector General’s report today confirms our fears: VA and veterans are worse off under Doug Collins’s leadership. 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.”
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