In its annual report, the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) worked with the Veterans Home Administration to identify severe staffing shortages by occupation in each VA medical center. For fiscal year 2023, the report reveals 3,118 severe shortages across 282 occupations. This is a continued rise in staffing shortages from fiscal year 2022, reversing an earlier decline between fiscal years 2018–2022.

Practical Nurses were the most reported clinical occupation with severe staffing shortages whereas Medical Support Assistance was the most frequently reported nonclinical occupation with severe staffing shortages. Each of the 139 facilities surveyed reported at least one severe occupational staffing shortage.