U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-7th District) sent five different letters to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Douglas Collins from April 10, 2025 through April 10, 2026 calling for accountability and a clear timeline to increase staffing levels at Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities to full capacity.
Vindman expressed concern in his first letter that the VA Outpatient Clinic in Fredericksburg, which opened to much fanfare in March 2025, was operating at only one-third capacity. In Vindman’s most recent communication with Collins, he noted that it took VA officials until this past February to respond to an October letter seeking answers on staffing, wait times, and the best way to serve veterans at the facilities.
Vindman said that a scheduled in-person meeting with Collins and his staff to address staffing shortages and operational delays was canceled. He also said that Collins’ staff replied to only two of his inquiries and the answers were unsubstantial.
On Tuesday, Vindman announced that he and U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Arizona) introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the Department of Veterans Affairs. According to a press release from Vindman, the goal of the legislation is to address understaffing at facilities across the country, including in Fredericksburg.
“I hear from veterans across my district who cannot get the care they need because of staffing shortages and delays at the Fredericksburg VA Health Care Center. That is simply unacceptable, and it needs to be fixed immediately,” Vindman said. “Our veterans served this country with honor, and they deserve a VA that is fully staffed, transparent, and accountable.”
Vindman said the staffing shortages in Fredericksburg are dramatically impacting Virginia’s veterans as wait times for mental health appointments reached 88 days. Many veterans are traveling long miles to receive care despite the presence of the 470,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility located on U.S. Route 1 in Spotsylvania County.
Officials at the facility told the Free Press at its one-year anniversary celebration in March that it added 35 services and 530 new employees since it opened but plenty of work remained. They said officials planned all along to staff the facility using a phased approach.
“I know our vets are looking for expanded services,” Dr. Tracey Graham told veterans at the one-year anniversary celebration … “Over the next year we’re going to work towards some of the recruitment things that have to happen in those departments and work on some of the things we have to get as far as equipment.”
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Justin Carraquillo said in Vindman’s release that he’s not pleased with the operations at the Fredericksburg facility. He said the ongoing personnel and staffing problems “represent how poorly our government manages Veterans Affairs activities across administrations,” citing a strict 5-minute no-sow policy and long wait times.
“Our veteran patients deserve world class healthcare, a service that we are clearly not providing,” Carraquillo said. “The legislation authored by Rep. Vindman will certainly shed light on the talent management issues plaguing the VA’s quality of care and service. We ask our veterans to sacrifice their time, their health, and even their lives in service to our great nation. Simply, our veterans have earned our absolute best, something we can all agree on regardless of political belief.”
Vindman’s VHA Transparency and Accountability Act would require the VA to publish monthly staffing and vacancy data for the Veterans Health Administration by occupation and medical facility. The legislation would amend the VA MISSION Act to require monthly publication of VHA staffing and vacancy data, broken down by occupation and medical facility, replacing the current quarterly reporting requirement.
“I am proud to say that my district is home to Luke Air Force Base and well over 50,000 veterans. This bill will allow me, and my colleagues to better assess the strengths and weaknesses of VA medical facility staffing in order to take appropriate action to improve the quality of healthcare that our veterans are entitled to,” Rep. Hamadeh said. “It’s my honor to work across the political aisle to introduce the VHA Personnel Transparency and Accountability Act, which should ultimately elevate the quality of care our veterans receive.”
This bill is endorsed by Disabled American Veterans, the Vet Voice Foundation, the National Association of Veteran Affairs Physicians and Dentists, the Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs, the Association of VA Neurology Services, and the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute.
Oscar Arbulu, executive director of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, said the legislation is important because currently the public relies on outdated staffing data.
“This legislation would provide monthly, facility-level staffing and vacancy data, giving policymakers and oversight bodies a much clearer picture of what’s happening across the VA healthcare system,” Arbulu said. “That’s not just a transparency issue; it’s an accountability issue. If veterans are waiting longer for appointments because a facility is understaffed, Congress should know about it in real time, not months later. Better data leads to better oversight, and better oversight helps ensure veterans receive the timely, high-quality care they’ve earned.”
