DOGE cuts push VA mental health wait times to 35 days nationally

A Democratic Senate report released January 22, 2026 found that the average wait time for a new mental health appointment at the Department of Veterans Affairs had doubled from 17 days in May 2024 to 35 days, with 15 states reporting waits exceeding 40 days — twice the VA's own access standard. The VA had shed 40,000 employees, 88% of whom worked in Veterans Health Administration clinical and support roles, and had lost 1,500 schedulers since January 2025. DOGE oversaw the cancellation of 2,000 contracts and the expiration of 14,000 more.