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Organizational Intelligence

Department of Veterans Affairs
Organizational Structure

Current as of July 9, 2026 • Secretary: Doug Collins (sworn in Feb 5, 2025) • RISE Initiative: 18 VISNs → 5 Operations Centers • Sources: VA.gov · Government Manual · Military Times
Acting / Performing Duties
Vacant
RISE Initiative
Office of the Secretary Executive Leadership
12th Secretary of Veterans Affairs
The Hon. Douglas A. Collins
Sworn in Feb 5, 2025 · Trump 2nd Term
Senate Confirmed
Deputy Secretary / COO
Dr. Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D.
Confirmed March 27, 2025 · EHRM Program Lead for VA
Senate Confirmed
Chief of Staff
Curt Cashour
Effective Feb 13, 2026 · Iraq Vet · Bronze Star
General Counsel
Catherine Mitrano
Acting General Counsel
Acting
Three Administrations Primary Operating Pillars
Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Under Secretary for Health
Acting · Dr. Lee Payne (DUSH, dual-hatted) since July 2026
Acting USH · permanent search underway

John Bartrum was Senate-confirmed USH in December 2025 (53 to 43) and departed in early July 2026 after fewer than seven months. Dr. Lee Payne, MD (retired USAF major general, former DoD electronic health record modernization lead), who was named Deputy Under Secretary for Health in February 2026, is now dual-hatted as Acting USH. A search commission chaired by Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence is recommending a permanent USH. Dr. Thomas O'Toole serves as Acting AUSH for Clinical Services / Acting CMO.

170+ VAMCs · 1,200+ outpatient sites · 9M+ enrolled veterans · ~$65B annual healthcare budget

VHA Internal Structure
Deputy Under Secretary for Health (DUSH)
Dr. Lee Payne · also dual-hatted as Acting USH (July 2026)
Acting AUSH for Clinical Services
Dr. Thomas O'Toole · also Acting CMO
VHA Chief Operating Officer
⚠ BEING ELIMINATED under RISE Initiative
VHA Central Office (VHACO)
Policy, Financial Mgmt, Oversight, Compliance
RISE Initiative (Restructure for Impact & Sustainability Effort)
Announced Dec 15, 2025. Implementation: 2026 to 2027.

Key Structural Changes:
• 18 VISNs → 5 regions, supported by 15 Health Service Areas (HSAs), reporting directly to USH
• VHA COO position eliminated
• VHACO staff placed under USH, DUSH, or Associate DUSH
• New Medical Operations Center delivers consistent guidance to facilities
• Medical facility directors empowered with more local authority
• No RIF · staffing at VAMCs and clinics unchanged

Timeline: Leadership consolidation begins mid-2026; VISN realignment starts late 2026 and completes around mid-2027 (18 to 24 months). Projected cost at least $312M.
Goal: Eliminate redundant bureaucracy, clearer accountability chain Secretary → front-line clinical leaders.
18 Current VISNs (Consolidating to 5 Regions)
VISN 1 · New England
VISN 2 · NY/NJ VA HCS
VISN 4 · VISN 4
VISN 5 · Capitol HC
VISN 6 · Mid-Atlantic
VISN 7 · SE Network
VISN 8 · Sunshine
VISN 9 · Mid South
VISN 10 · Great Lakes
VISN 12 · Midwest
VISN 15 · Heartland
VISN 16 · S Central
VISN 17 · TX Valley
VISN 19 · Mtn States
VISN 20 · Northwest
VISN 21 · Sierra Pacific
VISN 22 · SW HC
VISN 23 · Midwest HC
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)
Acting Under Secretary for Benefits
Michael Frueh · Principal Deputy USB / Acting (confirmed Apr 2025; 2026 successor unconfirmed)
Acting · Confirmation Required

Michael Frueh (Principal Deputy USB) was confirmed acting as of April 2025. Karen Brazell (nominated June 2025) withdrew Oct 2025. Following her withdrawal, current acting status for 2026 is not publicly confirmed. Deputy Sec. Lawrence re-launched the search Jan 2026.

Manages nearly $200B in annual benefits. 56 Regional Offices nationwide.

Principal Deputy USBenefits · Michael Frueh
Acting USB (confirmed Apr 2025; 2026 successor unconfirmed)
Deputy US for Disability Assistance
Compensation · Pension & Fiduciary · Insurance · Benefits Assistance
Deputy US for Economic Opportunity
VR&E · Education · Transition Assistance · Loan Guaranty
Deputy US for Field Operations
56 Regional Offices · Records Mgmt Center · Appeals Mgmt Center
Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA)
Chair: Cheryl L. Mason
National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs
Sam Brown · Confirmed Aug 1, 2025
Senate Confirmed Aug 1, 2025

Nominated Jan 20, 2025. Confirmed 54 to 44. Sworn in by Secretary Collins.

150+ National Cemeteries (US & Puerto Rico)
State Cemetery Grants Program
State & tribal veterans cemeteries funding
Headstones, Markers & Presidential Memorial Certificates
Staff Offices Assistant Secretaries & Executive Directors
Assistant Secretaries
AS for Congressional & Legislative Affairs
Brooks D. Tucker
VA-Congress relationship, legislative engagement, GAO liaison
Confirmed
AS for Enterprise Integration
Melissa S. Glynn, Ph.D.
Cross-functional integration, strategic analysis, departmental planning
AS for Human Resources & Administration
Jacquelyn Hayes-Byrd
Acting · VA workforce 300,000+
Acting
AS for IT / Chief Information Officer
Gary Shatswell
Nominated April 21, 2026 (3rd nominee). Lawrence performing duties pending confirmation.
Nominated · Pending
AS for Management / CFO
Jon J. Rychalski
CFO · ~$350B total VA budget authority
AS for Public & Intergovernmental Affairs
Position Under Transition
Cashour moved to Chief of Staff Feb 2026 · role under review
Transitioning
Executive Directors & Independent Offices
Accountability & Whistleblower Protection
Kirk M. Nicholas
Employee accountability and whistleblower protections
Acquisition, Logistics & Construction (OALC)
Karen L. Brazell
Chief Acquisition Officer · withdrew VBA nomination Oct 2025, remains OALC
Chief Veterans Experience Officer
Lynda C. Davis
Veterans' experience, satisfaction, and access initiatives
Office of Inspector General
Michael J. Missal
Independent oversight of VA programs and operations
Acquisition — OALC / Technology Acquisition Center (TAC) Office of Acquisition, Logistics & Construction
Principal Executive Director, OALC · VA CAO
Phillip W. Christy
Principal Executive Director, OALC & VA Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO)
Acting AED & HCA, TAC
Jeffrey M. Bishop
Acting Associate Executive Director & Head of the Contracting Activity (HCA), Technology Acquisition Center
Acting
Acting Deputy AED, TAC
David Nostrant
Acting Deputy AED, TAC · also Director, Procurement Service E
Acting
Executive Director, OSDBU
Chanel Bankston-Carter
Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Procurement Systems Management
Evangelos Mihelis
Enterprise Acquisition Systems Service (EASS), OALC
External Partner · GSA FAS
Lawrence C. Hale
Assistant Commissioner, Office of Acquisition Solutions Development, FAS (GSA)
TAC Leadership

TAC provides acquisition, program management, and technical expertise to support procurement life-cycle management of enterprise-wide IT and communication solutions.

Acting AED & HCA
Jeffrey Bishop
Acting AED & HCA
Acting
Acting Deputy AED
David Nostrant
Acting Deputy AED
Acting
Executive Assistant
Al Nichols
Executive Assistant
Procurement Services · Directors & Contracting Officers
Service A — Robert Kirzow
Director
COs: Susan Banasiak · Evan Schlisserman · Summer Spalliero · Robert Kately
Service B — Jessica Bieberbach
Director
COs: Kim Geran · Debra Clayton · Peter Lewandowski · Matthew Newell
Service C — Carolyn Carbone
Director
COs: Michael Weckesser · Brett Schwerin · Patrick Hamilton
Service D — Charles Ross
Director
COs: Dana Newcomb · Meghan McCloskey · Christopher Minetti · Brandon Caltabilota
Service E — David Nostrant
Director (also Acting Deputy AED, TAC)
COs: Troy Loveland · John Fields · Heather Utt · Khos Rentsendorj
Service F — Anne Marie Vasconcelos
Director
COs: Matt Truex · Michael Marone · Kathryn Pantages · Edward Hebert
Service G — Kari Cozzens
Director
COs: Lori Walker · Claudetta Smith · Edgar Alonso-Bernal · Mary Accomando
Service H — Iris Farrell
Director
COs: Mina Awad · Diana Armesto · Kendra Casebolt · Newton Maloba
Service I — Josh Hammill
Director
COs: Ruth Smith · Ashley Rock · Wendella Baptiste · Stephanie Applegate
Service J — Juan Quinones
Director
COs: Ioannis Vardouniotis · Joseph Jones · David Long · Jason King
Engineering Services — Jon Smolenski
Director
Operations Services — Ariel Arrosa
Director
TAC Points of Contact
Small Business Specialist · Tony Owens
(848) 377-5233
Customer Liaison · Richard Wortman
(848) 377-5049
Delivery — Office of Information & Technology (OIT) IT Leadership & Mission Challenge Owners
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, OIT
Zack Schwartz
PDAS, OIT
Context: Sworn in late Jan 2026, replacing Eddie Pool; reports to Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence (acting CIO). Publicly stated “Incumbency is not a guarantee.” [MeriTalk 2026-02-03; FedScoop/ExecutiveGov 2026-06-19]
Acting Chief of Staff, OIT
Rob Howell
Acting Chief of Staff, OIT
Acting
Senior Advisor, OIT
Howard Steinman
Senior Advisor, OIT (Mission Challenge Panel moderator)
Deputy CIOs & Office Leads · Mission Challenges
CDO & Acting DCIO · CRR
Lisa Rosenmerkel
VA Chief Data Officer & Acting DCIO · Compliance, Risk, and Remediation (CRR)
Acting
Enterprise Data Storage Environment
Acting DCIO · CCS
Jason Miller
Acting DCIO · Connectivity and Collaboration Services (CCS)
Acting
Technology Fielding and Logistics Pipeline
Exec Director, End User Operations · EUS
Jeff VanBemmel
Executive Director, End User Operations · End User Services (EUS)
Operational AI for IT Efficiency (AIOps)
Exec Director, Enterprise Command Operations · EUS
Bob Cunningham
Executive Director, Enterprise Command Operations · End User Services (EUS)
Intelligent Non-Human Agent (Tier 1 Contacts)
Acting VA CISO & Acting DAS · OIS
Jeff Spaeth
Acting VA CISO & Acting DAS · Office of Information Security (OIS)
Acting
Comply to Connect (“Bouncer”)
VA Chief AI Officer · OCTO
Dr. Kimberly McManus
VA Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer · Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO)
AI Expansion Across VA
DCIO · IO
Kendall Krebs
DCIO · Infrastructure Operations (IO)
Optimizing Workload Placement in a Hybrid Hosting Environment
Acting DCIO · PDS
Rob Orifici
Acting DCIO · Product Delivery Service (PDS)
Acting
Modernization with Purpose

Source: VA FY26 IT Advanced Planning Brief to Industry (APBI), presented June 17–18, 2026. APBI content is advisory and subject to change. Context lines marked with citations are verified public sources, not APBI claims.

FEHRM Federal EHR Modernization · VA / DoD Joint Program

The Federal EHR Modernization (FEHRM) is jointly managed by VA and DoD (DHA). FEHRM Director Bill Tinston coordinates Oracle Cerner deployment across both enterprises. As of April 2026, VA has 13+ active deployment sites. Deputy Secretary Lawrence personally oversees the EHRM program for VA, appearing weekly on the “Federal Electronic Health Record Update” internal program.

⚠ Risk Flag: The DHA April 2026 reorg · PAE “Construct Pending” status and HCDS recompete · creates a governance gap for FEHRM coordination on the DoD side during the IOC to FOC transition (target: Jul 19, 2026). On the VA side, the vacant CIO position (Gary Shatswell pending confirmation) adds further coordination risk for the joint program.

Sources: VA.gov · US Government Manual · Military Times · Marine Corps Times · Federal News Network · Army Times · NextGov · Mission Meets Tech Research · Current as of July 9, 2026 (USH leadership + RISE updated)