HAMPTON, Va. — A new government report is highlighting a variety of concerns at the Hampton VA Medical Center. This, of course, comes as the Trump Administration makes cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, cuts that are impacting the medical center.
Staff at the Hampton VA feel burnt out and fatigued. That's according to findings in a 55-page report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General.
Watch: Hampton VA Medical Center confirms employees let go as Trump admin makes cuts
The report says it's because of a "heavy workload" and that was before some employees at the medical center were laid off in February 2025.
Other big concerns in the report?
An automated process at the VA that potentially causes some providers to not receive lab results. There are vulnerabilities in certain communication procedures, and unclear parking signs cause trouble, too, according to the report.
Watch: New leadership starts at Hampton VA Medical Center
The concerns came to light after an inspection of the facility August 19-21 2024.
“In big letters, it said ’Terminated,’” medical center employee LaShavia Prather said, recalling an e-mail she got telling her she had lost her job.
Prather was one of the employees laid off from the Hampton VA in February.
News 3 first spoke with her a few days after she was laid off. We spoke with her again in March when she learned she and others who were laid off would be getting their job back.
Watch: Fired Hampton VA employee reacts to judge’s order to reinstate federal workers
While bringing employees back may help address some of the workload concerns at the medical center, Prather told News 3 during the March interview she still wasn’t sure how long she’ll have a job.
"I’m technically still under my probationary period. My probation is not up until May 19. So even though we were allowed to come back, to me, it’s still too many questions and not enough answers," said Prather.
Something else that could help is the opening of a new VA medical center in Chesapeake. News 3 was there for the ribbon cutting April 10 when U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins addressed issues with the overall VA system.
Watch: Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for new Chesapeake VA clinic
“We are a service organization and that’s changing right now," said, in part, as he spoke to the crowd ahead of the ribbon- cutting.
The government report also notes the Hampton VA Medical Center is taking steps to improve care, including adding weekend clinics and setting expectations for staff and leaders to address complaints in a timely manner.
News reached out to the medical center’s spokesperson and a spokesperson for the union representing workers at the medical center. The medical center’s spokesperson sent News 3 a statement that says, in part, aggressive recruitment, incentives, job fairs, and targeted campaigns are being used to help fill vacancies.
VA Hampton Health Care System is one of the fastest-growing VA health care systems in the nation, recently earning a 4-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for quality of care. To better serve local Veterans, we opened the new North Battlefield VA Outpatient Clinic April 17 and are opening the Western Branch Community Based Outpatient Clinic in 2026. These new locations are part of a strategic growth plan to expand care delivery throughout Hampton Roads.
Like all other health care organizations across the country, VA Hampton Health Care System is navigating a nationwide shortage of nursing and primary care professionals. To address these challenges, we are continuing aggressive recruitment efforts, utilizing incentives, job fairs, and targeted campaigns to fill vacancies. Additionally, we collaborate with a large network of community providers to ensure Veterans receive timely health care when and where it’s convenient for them.
