House Democrats Press VA Secretary on Mental Health Care Strain

The lawmakers sent the secretary a letter last week asking questions about the state of VA care, citing a ProPublica investigation from this spring that revealed the agency’s mental health workforce has been plummeting and veterans have been left in the lurch. The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Judy Chu, who is a psychologist and represents a district in Southern California.

"Caring for our nation's Veterans is a fundamental responsibility, the letter says. "That includes ensuring access to high-quality mental health care. The lawmakers demanded that the VA disclose details about its shortage of mental health providers and the impact on veterans.

It also pushed the agency to lay out how long veterans have to wait for care. As ProPublica has detailed, while the VA has long had a shortfall of mental health providers, the situation has gotten far worse under the current Trump administration.