Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Veterans Affairs

What GAO Found

In June 2024, GAO identified 28 priority recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Since then, VA has implemented four of those recommendations, including taking steps to improve efficiency, such as reducing underutilized clinic space, and ensuring consistency in measuring health care appointment availability to improve the reliability of wait time measures.

In May 2025, GAO identified five additional priority recommendations for VA, bringing the total number of open priority recommendations to 29. These 29 recommendations involve the following areas:

• improving timely access to the Veterans Community Care Program,
• enhancing acquisition management,
• modernizing electronic health records,
• improving strategic human capital management,
• improving quality of care and patient safety,
• modernizing VA's health care system,
• improving disability benefits management,
• assessing software licenses,
• enhancing Equal Employment Opportunity and harassment prevention programs, and
• improving veteran education program management.

VA's continued attention to these issues could lead to significant improvements in government operations.

Why GAO Did This Study

Priority recommendations are the GAO recommendations that have not been implemented and warrant attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money; improve congressional or executive branch decision-making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent, among other benefits. Since 2015, GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations.

For more information, contact Jessica Farb at farbj@gao.gov.