By Hugh Lessig, ADVANCE MILITARY CORRESPONDENT
Rep. Eugene Vindman, who has criticized staffing levels at the Fredericksburg VA Health Care Center, said he’s optimistic about legislation that would provide a clearer picture of vacant jobs throughout the massive veterans’ health care system.
Vindman, a Democrat whose 7th District includes the greater Fredericksburg area, is a leading co-sponsor of the Veterans Health Administration Transparency and Accountability Act. It would require monthly publication of veteran health system staffing and vacancy data, broken down by occupation and medical facility. If it becomes law, it will replace the current quarterly publishing requirement.
Vindman is teaming with Arizona Republican Abe Hamadeh to push the legislation. Both lawmakers have districts with significant veteran and military presence. Vindman’s district includes some 72,000 veterans along with three military bases and almost 200,000 active-duty service members. Rep. Hamadeh’s district is home to Luke Air Force Base and has well over 50,000 veterans.
The bill was one of several scheduled for a June hearing before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The hearing had to be rescheduled at the last minute.
“I’ve heard from hundreds of Virginians whose appointments have been delayed, canceled, or disrupted because the VA doesn’t have the staff it needs,” Vindman said in a recent interview, when asked specifically about services at the Fredericksburg VA center. “I will continue to highlight these stories and call to increase transparency and accountability at the VA.”
According to Vindman’s office, the Fredericksburg center staffing has a 37-percent vacancy rate, one of the central concerns expressed at a roundtable Vindman held earlier this month with Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones.
Prior to that, more than 200 state residents participated in a district-wide survey to discuss their concerns. The feedback Vindman received included complaints about wait times that dragged on for months, and appointments canceled because no physician was available.
Quinn Slaven, a 28-year-old Republican operative who was appointed press secretary for the VA back in April, defended the agency.
“Fredericksburg Health Care Center has nearly 600 onboard employees as of August 2026, with 80 candidates in various stages of onboarding,” he said in an email. “This is on schedule and aligned with the number of veterans seen at this clinic. Staffing will increase as the population of veterans being served increases.”
He added: “Fredericksburg has served over 22,000 veterans, and has completed more than 214,000 appointments, all of which surpass its first-year targets for this clinic, which is still in Phase 3 of its opening.”
Vindman said he plans to meet with leaders of the center in the coming weeks and hopes for a “productive conversation” about the quality of care, plus staffing and resource needs.
Separately, Vindman is among 62 House Democrats to endorse a letter from Rep. Judy Chu, a California Democrat, addressing a shortage of mental health professionals across the VA system. Chu, who is a psychologist, said the VA has lost more than 300 psychologists and 700 social workers since President Trump took office.
In 2025, 57 percent of VA facilities reported several psychology staffing shortages, she said.
“The consequences for veterans are evident,” the letter states. “Staffing shortages have caused longer wait times, cancelled appointments, interrupted treatment, and the loss of trusted clinicians.”
The VA’s Slaven said that the VA completed a record number of mental health care appointments in the past fiscal year while shortening patient wait times. He also said the VA set new records this year for both veteran suicide prevention screening and comprehensive evaluations for at-risk veterans.
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