United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs

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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 current Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs is Gordon H. Mansfield, who was appointed by the President on November 3, 2003 and confirmed by the Senate on January 22, 2004. Previous Deputy Secretaries include Anthony Principi and Hershel Gober. In 2000, President Bill Clinton named Edward A. "Ned" Powell, Jr. as an Acting Deputy Secretary.

[edit] External links

• The official line of succession for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• The biography of Gordon H. Mansfield
• The biography of Anthony Principi
• New York Times biography of Hershel Gober
• A Veterans Affairs press release on Ned Powell's appointment