- Figueroa returns to the role he held from November 2025 to January
- His appointment supersedes reports earlier in the week that Deputy Under Secretary Lee Payne would fill the vacancy
- He previously served as CEO at Genoa Healthcare and Apria
John Figueroa has taken over as acting under secretary for health at the Department of Veterans Affairs, stepping back into a role he held earlier this year, FedScoop reported Friday, citing an internal email. The move puts him atop the Veterans Health Administration days after John Bartrum resigned from the Senate-confirmed post.
The appointment caps a fast-moving leadership shuffle. Military Times reported Tuesday that Deputy Under Secretary for Health Lee Payne had been tapped as Bartrum’s temporary replacement, but the internal email viewed by FedScoop identifies Figueroa as the acting VHA chief by week’s end.
In the email, Figueroa said the agency’s priorities include continued adoption of technologies such as AI Scribe and the federal electronic health record to cut administrative burden and improve patient experience. He also pointed to VHA’s Restructure for Impact and Sustainability Effort as a way for the organization to operate more quickly and efficiently.
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Who Is John Figueroa?
Figueroa served as VA’s acting under secretary for health from November 2025 until Bartrum’s arrival in January and has been a senior adviser to VA Secretary Doug Collins. His private sector career spans 36 years in healthcare, including founding and leading pharmacy solutions company CarepathRx and serving as CEO of behavioral health pharmacy provider Genoa Healthcare, which he led through a sale to UnitedHealth Group. He also headed Apria Healthcare and Omnicare and rose to president of McKesson’s U.S. Pharmaceutical Group. A former Army infantry officer and Ranger, Figueroa served with the 3rd Infantry Division and the 12th Special Forces Group.
What EHR Modernization Work Does the Acting VHA Chief Inherit?
Figueroa assumes oversight of the VA’s electronic health record modernization rollout, which Bartrum led during his roughly six months in office. The department plans to bring 19 sites onto the updated system by the end of 2026, according to FedScoop, with full deployment targeted for completion as early as 2031 under what VA budget documents describe as an aggressive timeline. Bartrum’s resignation took effect Monday; the retired Air Force Reserve major general said he planned to focus on family and health.
Former VA Secretary David Shulkin welcomed the appointment. “I want to express my gratitude to John Figueroa for stepping forward to serve as Acting Under Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,” Shulkin wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“Leading the Veterans Health Administration is one of the most demanding roles in American healthcare. At this important time for the VA, we should be grateful for John’s willingness to take on this responsibility and support the extraordinary clinicians, researchers, and staff who provide care to millions of veterans every day,” he added.
