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 of veterans affairs in the event of his resignation, death, or otherwise inability to fulfill his duties.
The Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs is a senior position within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that directs the National Cemetery Administration, which maintains 150 national cemeteries and provides burial services for veterans of the United States military and eligible family members.
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.
The United States under secretary of the Army is the second-highest-ranking civilian official of the United States Department of the Army, serving directly under the United States Secretary of the Army. The Secretary and Under Secretary, together with two military officers, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army and the Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army, constitute the senior leaders of the United States Army.
Brett P. Giroir is an American pediatrician, former U.S. assistant secretary for health, four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and acting FDA commissioner. Dr. Giroir currently serves as CEO and a member of the Board of Directors for Altesa BioSciences, Inc, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on developing new treatments for respiratory viruses and global viral threats. He is also a co-founder and independent director for Revelar Biotherapeutics, and an independent director for OncoNano Medicine. His non-profit activities include Board service on the Global Virus Network and Remote Area Medical (RAM), and he remains active in global humanitarian initiatives in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. He previously served as the 16th assistant secretary for health during the Trump administration from February 15, 2018, to January 19, 2021. He concurrently served as the secretary's principal public health and science adviser, the senior adviser for the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as well as the senior adviser to the secretary for Opioid Policy. From 2020 to 2021, he served additionally as the director of the U.S. coronavirus diagnostic testing, and as the U.S. representative on the World Health Organization Executive Board. As COVID-19 testing czar, he was part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Thomas Gerald Bowman is an American political aide and retired Marine Corps Colonel who served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs from August 10, 2017, to June 15, 2018, when he retired from active federal service.
James Michael Byrne is an American lawyer who served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs from August 2018 to February 2020. He previously served as the general counsel for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Cheryl L. Mason is an American attorney, executive, and government official who is currently serving as the Senior Advisor and Executive Director for Veteran and Military Spouse Employment Programs and Partnerships for The Department of Veterans Affairs. From November 2017 until August 2022, she served as the first woman, military spouse, and suicide survivor Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals. In 2020, she was named a PREVENTS Task Force Ambassador, along with Lead Ambassador Second Lady Karen Pence. PREVENTS was the first national public health campaign to address suicide prevention. Previously Mason served as Deputy Vice Chairman, Chief Veterans Law Judge, and Veterans Law Judge at the Board. Starting in early 2021, Chairman Mason has worked closely with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative to address the challenges and issues of military and veterans families to include military spouse employment and veterans transition. Chairman Mason also serves as a VA champion and advocate for suicide prevention.
The Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is a senior position within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that is responsible for the operation and policies of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, which is the administrative tribunal within the department responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions on behalf of the Secretary regarding veterans' claims for benefits and services.
Shereef Elnahal is an American physician who is the current United States Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health. He previously served as the 21st commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health from 2018 to 2019, and as the president/CEO of University Hospital in Newark from 2019 to 2022. He also previously served as an Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Quality, Safety and Value from 2016-2018
Matthew T. "Matt" Quinn is an American retired military officer and government official who is the current Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs in the Biden administration.
