OIG Determination of Veterans Health Administration’s Occupational Staffing Shortages

Pursuant to the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review to identify clinical and nonclinical occupations experiencing staffing shortages within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This is the seventh iteration of the staffing report and the third report evaluating facility-level data. The OIG evaluated severe occupational staffing shortages identified through surveying medical center directors and compared this information to the previous two years. The OIG found that 95 percent of VHA facilities identified at least one severe occupational staffing shortage. The total number of identified severe occupational staffing shortages was 2,430. The most frequently cited occupational shortages were in the Medical Officer and Nurse occupations—derived from assignment codes used by VHA to designate specialties within the corresponding Office of Personnel Management occupational series. Sixty percent of facilities identified Psychiatry as the most frequently reported clinical severe occupational staffing shortage. Custodial Worker was the most frequently reported nonclinical occupation by 47 percent of facilities. Practical Nurse was the most frequently reported Hybrid Title 38 occupation. The OIG observed annual decreases in the overall number of severe shortages since fiscal year 2018. The number of occupations reported by at least 20 percent of facilities decreased from 30 in fiscal year 2018 to 17 in fiscal year 2020. The number of facilities reporting no severe occupational shortages increased from zero to seven over the last three years. One facility reported zero severe occupational staffing shortages in fiscal year 2020; however, in fiscal years 2018 and 2019, that facility reported the highest overall number of shortages across VHA. The OIG made no recommendations.