The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,the department concerned with veterans' benefits,health care,and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet and second to last at sixteenth in the line of succession to the presidency. Until the appointment of David Shulkin in 2017,all appointees and acting appointees to the post were United States military veterans,but that is not a requirement to fill the position.
The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
Eric Ken Shinseki is a retired United States Army general who served as the seventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2009–2014) and the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army (1999–2003). Shinseki is a veteran of two tours of combat in the Vietnam War,in which he was awarded three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts. He was the first Asian-American four-star general,and the first Asian-American Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army,the chief is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the secretary of the Army. In a separate capacity,the CSA is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and,thereby,a military advisor to the National Security Council,the secretary of defense,and the president of the United States. The CSA is typically the highest-ranking officer on active duty in the U.S. Army unless the chairman or the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Army officers.
The deputy secretary of veterans affairs,in the United States government,is the chief operating officer of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,responsible for a nationwide system of health care services,benefits programs,and national cemeteries for America's veterans and their dependents. The deputy secretary is the second-highest-ranking officer in the department and succeeds the secretary in the event of his resignation,death,or otherwise inability to fulfill his duties.
Evelyn May Lieberman was an American public affairs professional who,during the Clinton administration,became the first woman to serve as White House Deputy Chief of Staff,and was the first United States Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The White House Office is headed by the White House chief of staff,who is also the head of the Executive Office of the President. The staff work for and report directly to the president,including West Wing staff and the president's senior advisers. Almost all of the White House Office staff are political appointees of the president,do not require Senate confirmation and can be dismissed at the discretion of the president.
The Under Secretary for Benefits (USB),in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,directs the Veterans Benefits Administration through regional offices in 50 states,the District of Columbia,Puerto Rico,and the Philippines. The Under Secretary is responsible for the administration of benefits provided by the Department to veterans and dependents,including compensation,pension,education,home loan guaranty,vocational rehabilitation,and life insurance.
James Benjamin Peake was the sixth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs,serving from 2007 to 2009. In 2004,he retired from a 38-year United States Army career. He also served as the 40th Surgeon General of the United States Army.
Denis Richard McDonough is an American government official serving under President Joe Biden since 2021 as the eleventh United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
John F. Kirby is a retired United States Navy rear admiral serving as White House National Security Communications Advisor since 2022. He previously served in the Biden administration as Pentagon Press Secretary and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from 2021 to 2022. He worked as a military and diplomatic analyst for CNN from 2017 to 2021. He served in the Obama administration as Pentagon Press Secretary from 2013 to 2015 and as the spokesperson for the United States Department of State and Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 2015 to 2017.
Bathsheba "Sheba" Nell Crocker is an American diplomat who is currently serving as the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. She previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 2014 to 2017.
Julie D. Fisher is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Cyprus since February 2023.
Elizabeth Marie Allen is an American political advisor who served as under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs in the Biden administration. She previously served as assistant secretary of state for global public affairs and as White House deputy communications director during the Obama administration. Allen resigned from the State Department on August 2,2024,to take up a role as chief of staff to Tim Walz,the then-unannounced running mate of Democratic presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris.
Joe Biden assumed office as president of the United States on January 20,2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution.
Donald Michael Remy is an American attorney,former military officer,and athletic administrator who served in the Biden administration as the 9th United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs between July 2021 and April 2023.
Ventris C. Gibson is an American government official serving as the director of the United States Mint. She previously served as deputy director of the Mint from October 2021 until her confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
United States Army