The Department of Veterans Affairs has more than 49,000
vacant jobs. Of those, more than 43,000 are in the Veterans Health
Administration.
Those staff shortages mean veterans aren't getting the care
they deserve at VA, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., a leader on the Senate Veterans
Affairs Committee, said in a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie this week.
Veterans can't get appointments quickly and high turnover means they struggle
to build relationships with their doctors.
VA began reporting its vacancies in 2018, and since then,
the number has only increased.
Since learning of the tens of thousands of vacancies,
Congress has provided additional powers and incentives to try to help fill
those jobs, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said. But the problem remains, and
veterans suffer because of it, he said.
"I write today with serious concerns about how VA is
making use of the numerous new authorities Congress has provided to help VA
identify and address its persistent workforce shortage," Tester wrote.
"Despite these new authorities, VA has yet to reduce the number of
vacancies."
While patients who see private doctors are scheduling more
than 5 percent more appointments, VA in-house appointments have increased 3
percent from fiscal year 2018-19.
"Lack of sufficient medical and support personnel is
partially to blame," Tester said.
Tester said he remains "consistently frustrated"
that VA hospitals and clinics, "particularly those in rural areas, are
dramatically understaffed."
Because VA is short-staffed, Tester said veterans across the
U.S. "continue to face barriers to access the quality and timely care they
have earned," adding that he regularly hears from veterans that
"vacancies and constant turnover in VA facilities negatively impact how
quickly they can get appointments as well as the quality of their relationship
with their doctor."
Tester called on VA to provide answers on how the additional
Congressional resources are being used and how it plans to address the staffing
shortfalls.
"Veterans across the country continue to face the
effects of an understaffed VA," he said.
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