Reporter’s note: This story includes discussion on topics including therapy, suicide and sexual assault
Veterans and psychologists say Veterans Affairs has quietly enforced internal policy changes that limit veterans’ access to mental health care.
And it’s happening at a time when psychologists are in short supply within the largest integrated health care system in the country, an NBC 5 investigation found.
The VA publicly denies this – saying in a statement: “there is no VA directive or memorandum that mandates psychotherapy caps or session limits,” according to a VA statement.
“Treatment is available to veterans across their lifetime. Veterans and their health care team decide together how to address ongoing needs, including whether to step down to other types of care and self-maintenance or continue with VA therapy,” the VA said in the statement.
Veterans and both former and current VA psychologists tell NBC 5 Investigates there is a disconnect between what the VA publicly says versus what they say is happening on the ground at local VA medical centers across the country.
“It’s quite clear that the changes they’re making will have direct consequences for the care of our veterans,” Chris Mapps told NBC 5 Investigates. Mapps is a representative with the AFGE, the union that represents more than 800,000 federal employees – including VA psychologists.
Mapps told NBC 5 Investigates that in the past couple of years, the psychology performance standards at places like the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago have been changed – from a one year of episodes of care down to a six-month time frame.
“There are in fact some recent policy and performance changes at the Jesse Brown VA (in Chicago) specifically with our psychologists that do seem to threaten that standard by arbitrarily limiting to six months of episodes of care,” Mapps said.
Dr. Stephen Long, a former VA psychologist at the Northport VA in New York, told NBC 5 Investigates that he retired in part due to his concerns about limiting care.
“Well, I was being told I had to limit the number of sessions that I had to see patients,” Long said. When asked if was told he had to limit the number of sessions, he said: “Yes… for individual psychotherapy.”
Long is a part of a group called “Voice 4 Our Vets.”
An online petition the group started calling to “end caps on veterans’ mental health care” has garnered more than 28,000 signatures since November.
John Diaz is a Gulf War veteran and part of the group.
John Diaz in an undated photo provided.Diaz says – based on his own experience in therapy – that it can take several sessions before a veteran can feel comfortable opening up with their therapist and that by enforcing a six-month episode of care standard on psychologists, his group worries it may have a negative impact on veterans – even dissuade them from attending therapy.
“When we signed the petition, we are getting a lot of input from veterans who are experiencing the same thing. It’s more of a national thing than a local thing,” Diaz said.
While Diaz praised the VA for training its psychologists to be able to handle the unique needs of veterans like post-traumatic stress disorder, he said in his own experience, there was discussion after 24 sessions about transitioning to different forms of therapy.
“When they say ‘Hey John, we gotta end it,’ They try to tell you have to go to group therapy or they will try to medicate you. You are just putting a band-aid on it,” he said.
NBC 5 Investigates also spoke to other current VA psychologists outside of Illinois who asked not to be identified because they feared retaliation for speaking.
They told us while there is “wiggle room” to allow VA psychologists to extend small portions of their caseload beyond 24 individual sessions – or six months of care – “the pressure we experience is unbelievable.”
One current VA psychologist told NBC 5 Investigates that they’ve experienced “increasing pressure to abide by this standard – no matter what. So even if a veteran is appearing with very complex needs, in the past we would be able to work with them – there wasn’t this kind of hard stop rule. The guiding principle is that it should be shorter term.”
“And if we don’t meet that – we can be rated as unacceptable,” another provider told us.
Their concern is that the policy changes being implemented and enforced place increasing pressure on psychologists to end individualized therapy even when it may not be clinically appropriate.
And it’s happening at a time when psychologists at the VA are in demand.
A recent Inspector General report from 2025 showed that in 79 of 139 VA facilities – more than 57 percent reported they were experiencing a staffing shortage with psychologists. The non-profit newsroom, the War Horse, was first to report on these issues, including how VA psychologists are leaving.
Medically retired in 2018, Ashley Ouellette praised her experience with therapy through the VA.
When we met the Chesterton, Indiana native last fall, she had not been told that her therapy would be directly impacted; but she did say that they had been told by contacts within the VA that she may have to advocate for herself and others that there was a chance individualized therapy could be affected.
“So unfortunately, during my time in the military, I was actually sexually assaulted multiple times by people and power positions, and I and I really struggled with that,” Ouellette said. “I tried taking my own life multiple times and, and therapy has had me not only confront some of my, my past traumas, but like it’s made me realize that life is worth living.”
When asked where she’d be without therapy, Ouellette praised her experience.
“Um, I wouldn’t be here. Like hands down I would not be here today,” she said fighting through tears. “Like, those services were beyond life changing for me.”
Ouellette said she has concerns about what effects internal policy changes may have.
The VA’s emailed statement re-iterated that there is “no limit” on the number of appointments veterans can have.
It stands in conflict to what multiple veterans and psychologists tell NBC 5 Investigates has been occurring in their experience.
Read the VA’s full statement below:
“There is no VA directive or memorandum that mandates psychotherapy caps or session limits. Treatment is available to Veterans across their lifetime. Veterans and their health care team decide together how to address ongoing needs, including whether to step down to other types of care and self-maintenance or continue with VA therapy. The FY2026 Psychology Performance Appraisal does not set a six-month cap on therapy. Instead, it calls for six-month episodes of care, which is a time to assess next steps for VA patients. These next steps can always include new episodes of care. Through episodes of care, VA works with Veterans over an initial series of mental health sessions and collaboratively plans any needed follow-on care. As part of this process, Veterans and their health care team decide together how to address ongoing needs, including whether to step down to other types of care and self-maintenance, or continue with VA therapy. The goal is recovery, healing and helping Veterans achieve greater independence and resilience. But there are no limits on the number of VA appointments a Veteran can have in mental health or any other areas.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or go to 988lifeline.org, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Hence then, the article about va denies claims from vets va psychologists of limits on mental health care was published today ( ) and is available on NBC Chicago ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( VA denies claims from vets, VA psychologists of limits on mental health care )
Also on site :