The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

, 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 seventeenth in the line of succession to the presidency (the position was last until the addition of the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...

in 2006). Until the appointment of

David Shulkin David Jonathon Shulkin (born July 22, 1959) is an American physician and former government official who served as the ninth United States secretary of veterans affairs from 2017 to 2018 under President Donald Trump. He was the Under Secretary of ...

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. When the post of secretary is vacant, the deputy secretary. Accessed January 13, 2008. or any other person designated by the president serves as acting secretary until the president nominates and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirms a new secretary.

List of secretaries of veterans affairs

; Parties (2) (3) (7) ; Status Anthony Principi served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs September 26, 1992 – January 20, 1993. Hershel W. Gober served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs July 13, 1997 – January 2, 1998 and July 25, 2000 – January 20, 2001. West served as Acting Secretary from January 2, 1998 to May 4, 1998. Gordon H. Mansfield served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs October 1 – December 20, 2007.UPI
Peake sworn in as VA secretary
, December 20, 2007. Accessed December 21, 2007.

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* , - {{navboxes , list = {{USSecVA {{USVA agencies {{US Cabinet leaders {{US presidential line of succession

Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

United States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs

List of secretaries of veterans affairs

See also

References

External links