Who We Are
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Privacy Service (PS) is a division within the Office of Information and Technology (OIT). The service was founded in 2002 with the mission to preserve and protect the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of Veterans, their beneficiaries, and VA employees by promoting a culture of privacy awareness and maintaining the trust of those we serve.
VA Privacy Service administers its programs according to the Privacy Act of 1974, the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-130, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 or FISMA, the Social Security Number Fraud Prevention Act of 2017, and other federal laws, regulations, and policies.
VA Privacy Service works closely with Privacy Offices at the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, National Cemetery Administration and VA Central Office to implement VA’s privacy policies and programs. At VA, more than 400 Privacy Officers throughout the United States help protect the Privacy of Veterans, their beneficiaries, and VA employees in all VA technologies, programs, and policies.
Leadership
Paul R. Lawrence, Ph. D.
Deputy Secretary, Chief Operating Officer, Acting Chief Information Officer, and Acting Senior Agency Official for Privacy
The Honorable Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as the 11th Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Deputy Secretary Lawrence was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 27, 2025, and sworn in the following day by Secretary Doug Collins.
Lisa Rosenmerkel
Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer for Compliance, Risk, and Remediation, and Acting Chief Privacy Officer
Lisa Rosenmerkel currently serves as the Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer for Compliance, Risk, and Remediation (CRR). Ms. Rosenmerkel was sworn to her permanent role as Executive Director for Data Governance and Analytics in the Office of Enterprise Integration on June 17, 2024. In this role, she serves as Chief Data Officer and is responsible for leading efforts across VA to use Veteran and business data to drive informed, evidence-based decisions, managing VA data assets and guiding operational and strategic improvements to lifecycle data management.
Rita Grewal
Acting Director, VA Privacy Service and Branch Chief, VA Privacy Risk Management and Compliance
Rita Grewal is the Acting Director, VA Privacy Service and Branch Chief, VA Privacy Risk Management and Compliance. She has 30 years of experience with VA in many roles including Chief Health Information Management, Privacy and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer, Records Management Officer, and Veterans Equitable Resource Allocation (VERA) Coordinator.
