VHA Staffing Shortages Worsen After Years of Improvement
In a recent report, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found Veterans Health Administration (VHA) personnel shortages are back after years of improvement.
In a survey of 139 VHA facilities this year, all reported at least one severe occupational staffing shortage. Overall, the VA-OIG found 2,622 severe staffing shortages in 285 VHA occupations, a 22 percent increase from fiscal year (FY) 2021. Among clinical positions, nurses experienced the most shortages, with 62 percent citing insufficient staffing, while nearly 70 percent of facilities ranked a shortage of custodial services for non-clinical positions.
Though the current staffing shortages for FY 2022 are lower than what VHA reported in FY 2018, it's the first report in recent years that has not reduced the overall number of shortage occupations.
To restore their workforce, the agency has called on Congress to pass legislation that would raise the cap on healthcare positions and preserve the nine hiring authorities instituted during COVID-19. The Senior Executives Association(SEA), with members in their roles as medical center directors and health care system executives, have renewed their call for pay reform–a notable priority of VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
Congressional intervention with the Honoring our PACT Act (H.R. 3697), which recently passed the Senate with amendments for the House to review, would authorize many of the recruiting and retention incentives sought by, including higher pay caps, bonus funding, and childcare subsidies. However, as SEA pointed out, support for strong career leadership is integral for carrying out policies Congress invokes.
“Congress has made a strong push to introduce several bills that will have a significant impact on the future of the VA health care system if signed into law,” stated Andrew Vernon, CEO of Military Veterans of America, and Jason Briefel, SEA’s Legislative Director, in a recent op-ed. “But these changes require dedicated personnel to enact them, and VA is experiencing a high vacancy and turnover rate in the clinical environment.”
In response to the report, the VA Deputy Under Secretary for Health Dr. Steven Lieberman alleged that the VA-OIG failed to recognize factors that inhibit hiring by the department, such as collective bargaining requirements, the impact of the pandemic, and the shortage of health care staff in the broader labor market.
The VA-OIG later reviewed the Deputy Under Secretary’s criticisms, and while the watchdog made clarifications to the report, they made no substantive changes.
