VA Adds 1,600 Mental Health Professionals to Workforce

Tue April 24, 2012

(Washington, D.C.) - The American Psychiatric Association (APA) submitted a letter to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs yesterday addressing the Department of Veteran Affairs’ recent announcement to hire an additional 1,600 mental health professionals. This 10 percent increase in the VA mental health workforce will include the hiring of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers to better serve veterans.

The APA remains deeply concerned about the delays experienced by America’s returning military, veterans, and their families. The increase will hopefully decrease the wait times, while simultaneously increasing the quality of service, for patients. In the letter submitted by the APA, recommendations include addressing the workload issues, pay scale inequalities, focus on hiring psychiatrists, developing more residency programs, veteran populations in rural areas, and engaging community-based psychiatrists. The APA continues to work with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Senate and House Committees on Veteran’s affairs, other physician societies, and congruent veterans’ advocacy groups to address the discrepancies in care that plague America’s military, veterans, and their families. For more information on the APA’s comments and action concerning veterans, visit our Military, Veterans, and Their Families webpage.