The Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 government, is the chief operating officer

Chief operating officer

A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...

 of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs

United States Department of Veterans Affairs

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...

, 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

United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs

The United States Secretary of Veterans' Affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits and related matters...

 in the event of his resignation, death, or otherwise inability to fulfill his duties.

The Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs is appointed by the President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 and confirmed by the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. The position was created with the creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in October 1988.

W. Scott Gould

W. Scott Gould

W. Scott Gould was confirmed as United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs on April 2, 2009 to replace Gordon H. Mansfield, who resigned from this Office on January 20, 2009.-Career:...

 is currently Deputy Secretary.

Since the creation of the Department in 1989, the following people have served as Deputy Secretary:

Name	Portrait	Term of Office		President(s) President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....  served under
		Start	End
Anthony Joseph Principi Anthony Principi Anthony Joseph Principi was the 4th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001, and resigned on January 26, 2005...		March 17, 1989	September 26, 1992	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
Hershel Wayne Gober Hershel W. Gober Hershel Wayne Gober is a former government official and Vietnam War veteran. He served as acting United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs on two occasions during the administration of Bill Clinton...		February 4, 1993	August 10, 2000	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Edward A. "Ned" Powell, Jr. (acting)		August 10, 2000	January 20, 2001
Leo S. Mackay, Jr. Leo Mackay, Jr. Leo Mackay, Jr. is a former deputy secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.He is Vice President, and an elected corporate officer, of Lockheed Martin Corporation...		May 24, 2001	September 30, 2003	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Gordon H. Mansfield Gordon H. Mansfield Gordon H. Mansfield is a former Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.-Political career:Mansfield was nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs by President George W. Bush on November 3, 2003, and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 22, 2004. He previously served as VA...		January 22, 2004	January 20, 2009
W. Scott Gould W. Scott Gould W. Scott Gould was confirmed as United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs on April 2, 2009 to replace Gordon H. Mansfield, who resigned from this Office on January 20, 2009.-Career:...		April 9, 2009	present	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...