VA taps familiar face as acting health secretary overseeing EHR work

July 11, 2026 - 04:54

Just days after John Bartrum stepped down from his role, the Department of Veterans Affairs has appointed John Figueroa as acting health secretary, placing him in charge of the agency's ongoing electronic health record modernization efforts. Figueroa is no stranger to the position, having previously held the same post during a critical phase of the troubled EHR rollout.

The move signals the VA's intent to stabilize leadership amid persistent delays and cost overruns tied to the Oracle Cerner system. Figueroa's return comes as the department faces mounting pressure from lawmakers and veterans' groups to fix a system that has been linked to patient safety concerns and workflow disruptions at multiple medical centers.

In his prior tenure, Figueroa pushed for tighter oversight and more aggressive testing before new site deployments. His reappointment suggests the VA may double down on that cautious approach rather than accelerate the rollout. The agency has not yet announced a permanent replacement for Bartrum, but insiders expect Figueroa to serve as a steady hand while the search continues.

Veterans advocates have cautiously welcomed the news, noting that Figueroa knows the internal politics and technical hurdles of the EHR project intimately. However, they stress that leadership changes alone will not solve the underlying software glitches and training gaps that have plagued the transition.