DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420
Phone, 202-273-4800. Internet, www.va.gov.
SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS James Nicholson
Chief of Staff Nora E. Egan
Deputy Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield
Chairman, Board of Contract Appeals Gary Krump
Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals (vacancy)
Vice Chairman, Board of Veterans' Ron Garvin
Appeals
Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Scott F. Denniston
Business Utilization
Director, Center for Minority Veterans Charles Nesby
Director, Center for Women Veterans Irene Trowell-Harris
Director, Office of Employment Discrimination Charles R. Delobe
Complaint Adjudication
Assistant to the Secretary, Office of Regulation Robert C. McFetridge, Policy and Management Acting
General Counsel Tim S. McClain
Inspector General Richard J. Griffin
Veterans' Service Organizations Liaison Allen (Gunner) Kent
Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Jonathan B. Perlin
Administration
Deputy Under Secretary for Health Michael J. Kussman, Acting
Deputy Under Secretary for Health Francis M. Murphy
for Policy Coordination
Deputy Under Secretary for Health Laura J. Miller
for Operations and Management
Under Secretary for Benefits, Veterans Benefits Daniel L. Cooper
Administration
Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits Ronald R. Aument
Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, National Richard A. Cemetery Administration Wannemacher, Jr., Acting
Deputy Under Secretary for Memorial Steve Muro, Acting
Affairs
Assistant Secretary for Management Tim S. McClain, Acting
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James R. Sandman, Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rita A. Reed
Budget
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Edward J. Murray, Finance Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary for C. Ford Heard
Acquisition and Materiel Management
Assistant Secretary for Information and Robert N. McFarland
Technology
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Edward F. Meagher
Information and Technology
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary Scott Cragg
for Information Technology Enterprise Architecture
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary Craig Luigart
for Policies, Plans, and Programs
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary Sally Wallace
for Information Technology Operations
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary Pedro Cadenas, Jr.
for Cyber and Information Security
Director, Austin Automation Center Linda Voges
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Dennis Duffy, Acting
Preparedness
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dennis Duffy
for Policy and Planning
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Michael McLendon
Policy
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Ray Wilburn, Acting
Planning and Evaluation
Director, Operations and Readiness R. Tom Sizemore, Acting
Deputy Assistant Secretary for John H. Baffa
Security and Law Enforcement
Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and R. Allen Pittman
Administration
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Gary Steinberg
for Human Resources and Administration
Director, Office of Administration C.G. Verenes
Deputy Director, Office of Catherine Biggs-
Administration Silvers
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Susan C. McHugh
Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Thomas J. Hogan
Resources Management and Labor Relations
Associate Deputy Assistant for Human Willie Hensley
Resources Management and Labor Relations
Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary Ronald E. Cowles
for Labor Management Relations
Deputy Assistant Secretary for James S. Jones
Resolution Management
Assistant Secretary for Public and Cynthia R. Church
Intergovernmental Affairs
Deputy Assistant Secretary for (vacancy)
Public Affairs
Deputy Assistant Secretary for William W. McLemore
Intergovernmental and International Affairs
Director, Center for Faith-Based and Darin S. Selnick
Community Initiatives
Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Pamela M. Iovino
Legislative Affairs
Deputy Assistant Secretary for (vacancy)
Congressional and Legislative Affairs
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The Department of Veterans Affairs operates programs to benefit veterans and members of their families. Benefits include compensation payments for disabilities or death related to military service; pensions; education and rehabilitation; home loan guaranty; burial; and a medical care program incorporating nursing homes, clinics, and medical centers.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was established as an executive department by the Department of Veterans Affairs Act (38 U.S.C. 201 note). It is comprised of three organizations that administer veterans programs: the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. Each organization has field facilities and a central office component.
Activities
Cemeteries The National Cemetery Administration (NCA) is responsible for more than 120 national cemeteries nationwide. Burial in a national cemetery is available to veterans, their spouses, and dependent children. At no cost to the family, a national cemetery burial includes the gravesite, grave-liner, opening and closing of the grave, headstone or marker, and perpetual care as part of a national shrine. If a veteran is buried in a private cemetery, anywhere in the world, NCA will provide a headstone or marker. NCA's State Cemetery Grants Program provides funds to establish, expand, or improve State-operated veterans cemeteries. Presidential Memorial Certificates honoring the veteran may be requested from NCA.
Center for Minority Veterans The Center for Minority Veterans was established under Public Law 103-446 (108 Stat. 4645) and is responsible for promoting the use of VA benefits, programs, and services by minority veterans and assessing the needs of minority group members. The work of the Center focuses on the unique and special needs of five distinct groups of veterans: African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans, which include American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaskan Natives.
Center for Women Veterans The Center for Women Veterans was established under Public Law 103-446 (108 Stat. 4645) and acts as the Secretary's primary adviser on women veterans issues and evaluates VA programs, policies, legislation, and practices to ensure that they are responsive and accessible to eligible women veterans.
Health Services The Veterans Health Administration provides hospital, nursing home, and domiciliary care, and outpatient medical and dental care to eligible veterans of military service in the Armed Forces. It conducts both individual medical and health-care delivery research projects and multi-hospital research programs, and it assists in the education of physicians and dentists and with training of many other health care professionals through affiliations with educational institutions and organizations.
Veterans Benefits The Veterans Benefits Administration provides information, advice, and assistance to veterans, their dependents, beneficiaries, representatives, and others applying for VA benefits. It also cooperates with the Department of Labor and other Federal, State, and local agencies in developing employment opportunities for veterans and referral for assistance in resolving socioeconomic, housing, and other related problems.
The Compensation and Pension Service is responsible for claims for disability compensation and pension, specially adapted housing, accrued benefits, adjusted compensation in death cases, and reimbursement for headstone or marker; allowances for automobiles and special adaptive equipment; special clothing allowances; emergency officers' retirement pay; survivors' claims for death compensation, dependency and indemnity compensation, death pension, and burial and plot allowance claims; forfeiture determinations; and a benefits protection program for minors and incompetent adult beneficiaries.
The Education Service administers the Montgomery GI Billprogram and other programs which provide education benefits to qualified active-duty members, veterans, certain dependents of veterans, and members of the Selected and Ready Reserve. The Service also check school records to ensure that they comply with the pertinent law, approves courses for the payment of educational
benefits, and administers a work-study program. Additional details are available at www.gibill.va.gov.
The Insurance Service's operations for the benefit of service members, veterans, and their beneficiaries are available through the regional office and insurance center (phone, 800-669-8477) in Philadelphia, PA, which provides the full range of functional activities necessary for a national life insurance program. Activities include the complete maintenance of individual accounts, underwriting functions, life and death insurance claims awards, and any other insurance-related transactions. The agency also administers the Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Program for those disabled veterans who receive a VA grant for specially adapted housing and supervises the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Program and the Veterans Group Life Insurance Program.
The Loan Guaranty Service is responsible for operations that include appraising properties to establish their values; approving grants for specially adapted housing; supervising the construction of new residential properties; establishing the eligibility of veterans for the program; evaluating the ability of a veteran to repay a loan and the credit risk; making direct loans to Native American veterans to acquire a home on trust land; servicing and liquidating defaulted loans; and disposing of real estate acquired as the consequence of defaulted loans.
The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service provides outreach, motivation, evaluation, counseling, training, employment, and other rehabilitation services to service-connected disabled veterans. Vocational and educationalcounseling, as...
