The Veterans Health Administration stated that 82% of medical centers had severe shortages of practical nurses and 80% were severely short of psychology employees in the past 12 months, according to a Sept. 11 report.
The report is the 13th iteration from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, a watchdog agency that annually assesses staffing shortages at each VA medical center. The report is based on information provided by VA officials.
During the federal fiscal year 2026, which runs from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026, VA officials reported 4,712 severe occupational shortages across 139 veterans hospitals, as of Sept. 11. The VA operates one of the largest hospital systems in the U.S., alongside Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare (190 hospitals), Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health (170) and Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health (135).
Officials for all 139 VA hospitals reported staffing shortages, and practice nurse roles were the most frequently reported severe occupational shortage. Other top clinical shortages were in psychology, psychiatry, social work and nursing assistant.
Police were the most common nonclinical shortage occupation, with 57% of facilities reporting this shortage. Custodial workers, medical support assistance, food service employees and healthcare engineers rounded out the top five nonclinical shortages.
Across VA systems, the number of severe shortages ranged from four at the VA Gulf Coast Healthcare System in Biloxi, Miss., to 148 at Birmingham (Ala.) VA Health Care System.
The VA’s Office of Inspector General made no recommendations based on the report.
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