Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

VA Still Well Short of the Doctors It Needs Despite Small Gains

Government Executive: The Veterans Affairs Department saw a slight net increase last year in the number of doctors and other in-demand workers it employs, according to a new report, but still remains critically short of the onboarding it requires.

The Veterans Health Administration netted 774 medical officers last fiscal year, VA’s inspector general found, with most gains offset by the doctors who left the department. VHA added employees in four of its five most “critical need” occupations, but the trend of attrition nearly offsetting those gains held for each position. As a result, the IG said, VA made little progress in its capacity to treat veterans more quickly.

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