Thousands of “core” healthcare professionals at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have been forced out, quit, or taken early retirement in the last six months. The VA Secretary Doug Collins is committed to eliminating 30,000 employees, but has insisted that he would not touch medical professionals. However, according to an Aug. 12 report from the Office of the Inspector General, since the beginning of this fiscal year, the VA has lost 2,000 registered nurses, approximately 1,300 medical assistants, 1,100 nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, 800 doctors, 500 social workers and 150 psychologists. The report states that 94% of VA facilities faced a “severe” shortage of doctors, while 79% faced a “severe” shortage of nurses. The agency wrote that without these core healthcare workers, “mission-critical work cannot be completed.” The rate of loss has been growing each month, according to the July 25 issue of VA Workforce Dashboard. Meanwhile Congress has passed the PACT Act in 2022 to expand medical coverage for veterans suffering from complicated conditions related to exposure to toxic military materials. The VA expects an additional 500,000 new patients based on this legislation.
Advocates for veterans have said that these impossible conditions are not an accident, but part of a plan to transform the VA system into a private voucher program. Several independent studies including the Congressional Budget Office show that the private voucher programs are more expensive, have longer wait times for service, and are poorly coordinated with the needs of the patient. The VA system is the largest integrated healthcare network in the United States, serving 9 million veterans annually.
