| United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the department | |
 Flag of the secretary | |
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| 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 | The 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.
Denis McDonough is currently serving as the 11th secretary of veterans affairs since February 9, 2021 under President Joe Biden.
- ^ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act".
- ^ "Order of presidential succession | USAGov". www.usa.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Public Law 109-177 §.503
- ^ a b : Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Accessed January 13, 2008.