President Donald Trump once pledged that his administration would 'take care of our brave men and women in uniform.' But a new analysis shows that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) all but abandoned thousands of vacant healthcare posts instead of filling them.
Internal records reviewed byThe New York Timesreveal that the VA chose not to hire replacements for about 14,400 unfilled medical roles, including doctors, nurses, and other specialists, even as retirements and resignations mounted.
Critics say the decision could stretch already-strained services and undermine care for millions of former US service members who depend on the VA's healthcare system.
The analysis of internal VA records found that the department decided to eliminate, rather than replace, roughly 14,400 unfilled healthcare jobs that had opened up after staff departures in 2025 and 2026.
These vacancies include around 1,500 doctor positions and 4,900 nurse roles, which together constitute about five per cent of the VA's total medical workforce.
The VA's own inspector‑general had already warned in a 2025 report that more than 90% of its facilities were suffering 'severe shortages of doctors' and nearly 80% of them had a serious lack of nursing staff.
These shortages raise questions about how the VA can meet demand for routine appointments, specialised care, and emergency services.
Rather than prioritising recruitment to replace departing clinicians, the department's leadership opted to officially remove the vacant positions from its organisational chart. This effectively shrinks the official size of the VA's healthcare workforce.
Trump's view on veterans' care has consistently emphasised improved support. In November 2024, he nominated Doug Collins to lead the department.
At the time,Trump said: 'We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform... to ensure they have the support they need.' The implication was that wounded, retired, or disabled veterans would receive robust, reliable medical attention.
Source: International Business Times UK
