VA Augusta earns four-star rating in 2026 CMS report VA has the highest CMS rating of any health care system in Augusta

This is the second year in a row VA Augusta has improved its overall rating in the report – VA Augusta was rated 2 stars in 2024 and 3 stars in 2025. In addition, CMS gave VA Augusta a 4-star Patient Satisfaction rating based on its high inpatient survey scores.

VA Augusta has made several critical improvements that have contributed to its 4-star rating:

• Staffing: VA Augusta added to its workforce over the past two years and reduced the vacancy rate from nearly 20% in FY24 to about 12% in FY26.
• New Outpatient Clinics: In the past year, VA Augusta opened a standalone Women’s Health Clinic in Augusta and a Mental Health Clinic in Athens.
• Patient Satisfaction: In 2025, patient surveys showed more than 90 percent of Veterans stated they trust VA Augusta.
• Patient Access: In recent weeks, VA Augusta created 107 additional patient appointment slots to expand patient access, with a focus on Cardiology, Ophthalmology, Vascular Surgery, ENT, Pain Management, and Orthopedics.
• Workplace Culture: Just last week, VA Augusta completed a voluntary workplace climate survey with its staff, and scores improved an average of 19 points across all measures since the last survey in February. Measures included leadership communication, the direction of the facility, and leadership integrity.

“This 4-star rating confirms what many Veterans here already knew – we’re establishing a culture that puts the Veteran first, from our frontline staff to our senior leaders,” said James Doelling, VA Augusta’s Interim Executive Director. “And now, that culture has put us first among all Augusta hospitals.”

CMS’ hospital star ratings are based on five categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. VA Augusta’s four-star rating (out of five) indicates high performance across these quality measures.

Nationwide, 78% of VA hospitals that received a rating earned an Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating of four or five stars in 2026 – the highest percentage of four- or five-star VA hospitals since the agency started participating in CMS hospital quality ratings.

This is the fourth consecutive year that VA outperformed non-VA care, according to CMS’ annual, nationwide hospital quality reviews, and it is the second year in a row that no VA hospital received a one-star rating. The percentage of VA hospitals earning four or five stars has grown dramatically in recent years:

• 2024: 58%
• 2025: 77%
• 2026: 78%

This year’s CMS report is just one example of how VA is working better for Veterans. Among other improvements, VA has:

• Enrolled more than 125,000 new Veterans in VA health care in 2026.
• Opened 35 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025, expanding health care access for Veterans around the country.
• Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by 70% since Jan. 20, 2025, after it increased 24% during the prior administration.
• Completed 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY2025, up 4.1% from FY2024.
• Offered Veterans more than 2.5 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY2025, the highest total in seven years.
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For more information, please contact Will Martin, VA Augusta Chief of Public Affairs, at William.Martin6@va.gov, or call the Public Affairs Office at .

Will Martin, Chief of Public Affairs

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