Every VA Hospital Reported Severe Staffing Shortages. Then VA Called Its Own IG Report Unreliable.
The VA Inspector General's annual staffing shortage report is out, and for the first time in the seven years Federal News Network has tracked these reports, every one of the 139 VA medical centers reported at least one severe staffing shortage. The 309-page report counts 4,712 severe shortages across 389 different occupations. If you work at the VA, or you are a veteran who depends on it, the people running your hospital have now said in writing what many of you already feel.
Where the Report Comes From
The IG's staffing shortage report was born out of the 2014 Phoenix wait-time scandal. Each year, the IG asks one official at every VA medical center to identify the occupations the facility struggles to fill. The questionnaire includes a box for "no severe shortages." This year, not a single one of the 139 hospitals checked it.
What the Numbers Show
The shortages are heaviest exactly where veterans receive care. Ninety-seven percent of facilities flagged a severe shortage of physicians, and 86 percent flagged nurses. The single most common shortage in the entire system was practical nurses, reported by 59 percent of hospitals, followed by nursing assistants at roughly half. By Shaun's count, 122 of 139 hospitals flagged at least one mental health or social work position, whether psychologists, psychiatrists, or social workers. Primary care doctors were flagged by 46 percent of facilities and emergency physicians by one in four. Staff nurses in VA nursing homes were the top nursing specialty flagged, at 51 hospitals, and 23 hospitals flagged audiology and hearing staff.
Nonclinical roles are short too. Fifty-seven percent of facilities flagged police, 53 percent flagged custodians, 47 percent flagged front desk staff, and 42 percent flagged food service. Boiler operators, electricians, air conditioning mechanics, cooks, and laundry workers all appear on the list.
Ten Hospitals Cannot Fill the Top Doctor Job
One detail stands out. Ten hospitals flagged Chief of Staff, the top physician position in the building, as a severe shortage: Washington DC, Greater Los Angeles, San Juan, Amarillo, Columbia SC, Salisbury NC, Fayetteville NC, St. Cloud, Battle Creek, and Coatesville. When leadership positions are hard to fill, the question of who is fixing the shortages beneath them becomes harder to answer.
The spread between facilities is also striking. Birmingham flagged 148 shortages, including 43 different physician jobs. San Juan flagged 56 different physician jobs, more than any VA hospital in the country. Biloxi flagged four. Phoenix, where this reporting began, flagged 27. Every facility answered the same questionnaire under the same criteria.
Two Messages From the Same Agency
Inside the report, VA's own Acting Under Secretary for Health wrote to the IG on August 27 that "VHA has no comments and appreciates OIG's comprehensive review." After publication, VA's press secretary called the report "not a reliable indicator of staffing shortages." VA's position is that the report counts positions that are hard to fill, not empty desks.
That distinction is fair as far as it goes. But context matters. VA cut about 30,000 employees last year, capped staffing at every hospital, and eliminated tens of thousands of vacant positions. Senator Blumenthal has argued that eliminating positions artificially lowers the vacancy rate, because when the position is deleted, the empty desk disappears from the count. Meanwhile, Congress authorized 300 waivers to the $400,000 physician pay cap to help VA recruit doctors, and those waivers remain unused. Members of both parties are asking for answers. Secretary Collins told the Senate in April, "We will hire every need that we have in the department."
What This Means for VA Employees
If you work in a facility on this list, the report is official documentation, from your own leadership, that your workload reflects a staffing shortage rather than a personal shortcoming. That matters if you are facing performance pressure, mandatory overtime, or a reassignment tied to coverage gaps. Keep your own records of staffing levels, schedules, and any requests you have made for help. VA employees who have raised staffing or patient-safety concerns and then experienced retaliation have protections under federal whistleblower law, and federal employment attorneys can help you evaluate whether those protections apply to your situation.
The full report is VA OIG Report No. 26-01046-271, dated September 11, 2026. If you want to know what your facility flagged, name it in the comments on Shaun's video and he will tell you.
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Legal Disclaimer: This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Federal employment situations are fact-specific and time-sensitive. Please consult a qualified federal employment attorney about your specific situation.