Trump VA Nominee Not A Veteran?

Trump Announces David Shulkin As Pick For Secretary Of Veterans Affairs
NPR
Camila Domonoske
January 11, 2016

Evan Vucci/AP

David Shulkin, the under secretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs, leaves a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump on Monday at Trump Tower in New York.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he plans to nominate David Shulkin to be his secretary of veterans affairs, a position that requires Senate confirmation.

Shulkin is currently the under secretary for health at the VA, which means he runs the Veterans Health Administration. He was nominated for that position by President Obama in March 2015 and confirmed by the Senate that June.

Shulkin's official bio says he is a physician — a board-certified internist — and was the chief executive or chief medical officer of several hospitals and hospital systems. He's also an entrepreneur who founded a health care information company called DoctorQuality.

Notably, he's not a veteran. As NPR's Quil Lawrence reported last month, the VA has always been headed by a veteran.

"I have no doubt Dr. Shulkin will be able to lead the turnaround our Department of Veterans Affairs needs," Trump said in a statement following the announcement. "Dr. Shulkin has the experience and the vision to ensure we will meet the healthcare needs of every veteran."
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