WASHINGTON – The White House announced its nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system — a top role at the agency that has been vacant for the past five years.
In addition, the White House named the agency’s new Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission and announced a candidate to be the next VA undersecretary for benefits.
The appointees are Shereef Elnahal as undersecretary for health for the Veterans Health Administration, Ray Jefferson as undersecretary for benefits for the Veterans Benefits Administration, Patrick Murphy for chairman of the VA’s Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission, and Jonathan Woodson for vice chairman of the review commission.
The VA has been without a confirmed leader of the Veterans Health Administration since the position was held by David Shulkin. Shulkin left the position in February 2017 after he was nominated by then-President Donald Trump as the VA secretary.
Richard Stone acted as the VA undersecretary of health for nearly three years and led the agency amid the coronavirus pandemic. He resigned in July after he learned he was not nominated for the position.
In October, the VA abandoned its initial search and restarted the process over again. The VA established another commission to aid in the search for candidates for the role of undersecretary for health – a position that oversees hundreds of hospitals and clinics that comprise the largest health care system in the country. Whoever takes the job will be responsible for hundreds of thousands of employees and an annual budget of about $61 billion.
The agency restarted the search out of an “abundance of caution,” VA spokesman Randy Noller said in October.
Noller also said the agency “received information that there may have been some irregularities in the consideration of the previous slate of candidates.”
The VA did not provide specifics about the situation.
Health, benefits undersecretaries
Dr. Shereef Elnahal, nominee for the VA’s undersecretary of health, has served as the CEO and president of University Hospital in Newark, N.J., since 2019. Before joining University Hospital, Elnahal served as the state’s health commissioner.
If appointed, it will not be Elnahal’s first foray into VA health care. He served as the assistant deputy undersecretary for health for quality, safety, and value from 2016 to 2018. During his time in that role, Elnahal managed the quality of care for the Veterans Health Administration and co-founded its innovation ecosystem, which is part of the VHA’s Office of Discovery, Education, and Affiliate Networks. The program help advance innovation and practices that helps improve veteran care.
Ray Jefferson, the nominee for undersecretary of benefits, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and served as an army officer from 1988 to 1999, according to his LinkedIn profile. During his military service, Jefferson lost all five fingers on his left hand after he cupped a defective grenade to protect other soldiers.
After his service, Jefferson served various roles with state and federal government agencies, including as a special assistant to the secretary of Commerce, and deputy director for Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. In 2009, former President Barack Obama appointed Jefferson as the assistant secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training at the Department of Labor.
However, in 2011, two subordinates accused Jefferson of procurement improprieties, such as directing government…
Read More: New Jersey hospital executive, former Florida congressman among VA health,