Defense Health Care: Information Needed to Improve Monitoring of Military Personnel Staffing at Medical Facilities , July 21 , 2025
Defense Health Care: Information Needed to Improve Monitoring of Military Personnel Staffing at Medical Facilities , July 21 , 2025
From the report: “The number of military medical positions and assigned personnel in Department of Defense (DOD) medical facilities has declined over time. Specifically, the number of authorized positions for military medical personnel declined by nearly 7 percent (63,179 to 58,945) from fiscal year 2015 through fiscal year 2023. Likewise, assigned personnel declined by about 16 percent (60,479 to 50,590) during the same time. The decline in assigned personnel is in part attributable to fewer medical personnel in the Army, Navy, and Air Force (military departments). Senior leaders from the Defense Health Agency (DHA), which manages medical facilities, stated they anticipate substantial shortfalls in military medical personnel until at least 2027 when personnel levels may increase.
To help address facility staffing challenges, DHA and the military departments implemented a collaborative process to staff medical facilities with military medical personnel. Pursuant to 2024 guidance from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (Health Affairs), DHA prioritized vacancies by facility and occupation, and the military departments identified personnel to fill them in 2025. DHA and the military departments are also collaborating to update medical facility personnel requirements for future years.
Health Affairs, DHA, and the military departments have taken steps to monitor the available work time of military medical personnel in medical facilities. The parties also agreed on how much time personnel would be expected to work in a facility as opposed to other military duties. These expectations vary depending on whether personnel are assigned exclusively to a facility.”
Authors - Government Accountability Office (GAO)Related Resources
