United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Cabinet position

United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Seal of the Department of Veterans Affairs

Flag of the secretary

Incumbent
Doug Collins

since February 5, 2025

United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Style| Mr. Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)
Member of| United States Cabinet
Reports to| President of the United States
Seat| Washington, D.C.
Appointer| President of the United States
with Senate advice and consent
Term length| No fixed term
Constituting instrument| 38 U.S.C. § 303
Formation| March 15, 1989
First holder| Ed Derwinski
Succession| Seventeenth[1]
Deputy| United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Salary| Executive Schedule, level I
Website| VA.gov

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 seventeenth[2] in the line of succession to the presidency (the position was last until the addition of the United States Department of Homeland Security in 2006[3]). 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.

When the post of secretary is vacant, the deputy secretary[4] or any other person designated by the president serves as acting secretary[4] until the president nominates and the United States Senate confirms a new secretary.

## List of secretaries of veterans affairs

[edit]

Parties

No party (2)   Democratic (3)   Republican (7)

Status

Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs

No. | Secretary  | Term of office  | President(s)

|
|
|

Portrait  | Name  | State of residence  | Took office  | Left office  | Term length
1 |  | Ed Derwinski | Illinois | March 15, 1989  | September 26, 1992  | 3 years, 195 days  |  | George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
– |  | Anthony Principi[1]
Acting | California | September 26, 1992  | January 20, 1993  | 116 days
2 |  | Jesse Brown | Illinois | January 22, 1993  | July 13, 1997  | 4 years, 172 days  |  | Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
– |  | Hershel W. Gober[2]
Acting | Arkansas | July 13, 1997  | January 2, 1998  | 173 days
3 |  | Togo D. West Jr. | District of Columbia | January 2, 1998[3] | May 4, 1998  | 122 days
May 4, 1998  | July 25, 2000  | 2 years, 82 days
– |  | Hershel W. Gober[2]
Acting | Arkansas | July 25, 2000  | January 20, 2001  | 179 days
4 |  | Anthony Principi | California | January 23, 2001  | January 26, 2005  | 4 years, 3 days  |  | George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
5 |  | Jim Nicholson | Colorado | January 26, 2005  | October 1, 2007  | 2 years, 248 days
– |  | Gordon H. Mansfield[4]
Acting | Florida | October 1, 2007  | December 20, 2007  | 80 days
6 |  | James Peake | District of Columbia | December 20, 2007  | January 20, 2009  | 1 year, 31 days
7  |  | Eric Shinseki | Hawaii | January 20, 2009  | May 30, 2014  | 5 years, 130 days  |  | Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
– |  | Sloan D. Gibson
Acting | Alabama | May 30, 2014  | July 30, 2014  | 61 days
8 |  | Bob McDonald | Ohio | July 30, 2014  | January 20, 2017  | 2 years, 174 days
– |  | Robert Snyder
Acting | West Virginia | January 20, 2017  | February 14, 2017  | 25 days  |  | Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
9  |  | David Shulkin | Pennsylvania | February 14, 2017  | March 28, 2018  | 1 year, 42 days
– |  | Robert Wilkie
Acting | North Carolina | March 28, 2018  | May 29, 2018  | 62 days
– |  | Peter O'Rourke
Acting | Virginia | May 29, 2018  | July 30, 2018  | 62 days
10 |  | Robert Wilkie | North Carolina | July 30, 2018  | January 20, 2021  | 2 years, 174 days
– |  | Dat Tran
Acting | Ohio | January 20, 2021  | February 9, 2021  | 20 days  |  | Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
11 |  | Denis McDonough | Minnesota | February 9, 2021  | January 20, 2025  | 3 years, 346 days
– |  | Todd B. Hunter
Acting |  | January 20, 2025  | February 5, 2025  | 16 days  |  | Donald Trump
(2025–present)
12 |  | Doug Collins | Georgia | February 5, 2025  | Incumbent | 140 days

1 Anthony Principi served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs September 26, 1992 – January 20, 1993.

2 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.[5]

3 West served as Acting Secretary from January 2, 1998[6] to May 4, 1998.[7]

4 Gordon H. Mansfield served as Acting Secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs October 1 – December 20, 2007.[8]

## See also

[edit]

* Administrator of Veterans Affairs
* Veterans Health Administration

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act".
2. ^ "Order of presidential succession | USAGov". www.usa.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
3. ^ Public Law 109-177 §.503
4. ^ a b 38 U.S.C. § 304: Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Accessed January 13, 2008.
5. ^ "Gober Takes Over Top Spot at VA" (Press release). Department of Veterans Affairs. July 25, 2000. Archived from the original on July 13, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
6. ^ "President Clinton Names Togo D. West Jr. As Acting Secretary Of The Department Of Veterans' Affairs" (Press release). White House. December 2, 1997. Archived from the original on October 5, 2006. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
7. ^ Staff (May 1999). "The Honorable Togo D. West Jr". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on March 4, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
8. ^ UPI. Peake sworn in as VA secretary Archived February 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, December 20, 2007. Accessed December 21, 2007.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)

Preceded by

Linda McMahon

as Secretary of Education |  Order of precedence of the United States
as Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Succeeded by

Kristi Noem

as Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by

Secretary of Education
Linda McMahon

|  17th in line  | Succeeded by

Secretary of Homeland Security
Kristi Noem

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

United States secretaries of veterans affairs

* Derwinski
* Brown
* West
* Gober #
* Principi
* Nicholson
* Peake
* Shinseki
* McDonald
* Shulkin
* Wilkie
* McDonough
* Collins

# denotes acting secretary

* v
* t
* e

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

* Headquarters: 810 Vermont Avenue NW
(Veterans Affairs Department Building)

* Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs
* Paul Lawrence, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs|

* Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection
* Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction
* Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs
* Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization
* Office of Enterprise Integration
* Office of General Counsel
* Office of Human Resources and Administration
* Office of Information and Technology
* Office of Inspector General
* Office of Management
* Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
* Veterans' Experience Office

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health|

* Veterans Health Administration

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Benefits|

* Veterans Benefits Administration

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs|

* National Cemetery Administration

Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals|

* Board of Veterans' Appeals

* v
* t
* e

Leaders of the United States federal executive departments

Current|

* Agriculture
* Commerce
* Defense
* Education
* Energy
* Health and Human Services
* Homeland Security
* Housing and Urban Development
* Interior
* Justice
* Labor
* State
* Transportation
* Treasury
* Veterans Affairs

Past|

* Commerce and Labor
* Health, Education, and Welfare
* Navy
* Post Office
* War

* v
* t
* e

United States presidential line of succession

* Succession Clause of Article II, Section I (1788)
* 12th Amendment (1804)
* 20th Amendment (1933)
* 25th Amendment (1967)
* Presidential Succession Act

Current line|

1. Vice President (JD Vance)
2. Speaker of the House of Representatives (Mike Johnson)
3. President pro tempore of the Senate (Chuck Grassley)
4. Secretary of State (Marco Rubio)
5. Secretary of the Treasury (Scott Bessent)
6. Secretary of Defense (Pete Hegseth)
7. Attorney General (Pam Bondi)
8. Secretary of the Interior (Doug Burgum)
9. Secretary of Agriculture (Brooke Rollins)
10. Secretary of Commerce (Howard Lutnick)
11. Secretary of Labor (Lori Chavez-DeRemer)
12. Secretary of Health and Human Services (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.)
13. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Scott Turner)
14. Secretary of Transportation (Sean Duffy)
15. Secretary of Energy (Chris Wright)
16. Secretary of Education (Linda McMahon)
17. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Doug Collins)
18. Secretary of Homeland Security (Kristi Noem)

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