Michael James Frueh was appointed the Acting Under Secretary for Benefits on January 20, 2025. In this capacity, he leads more than 34,000 Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) employees in the delivery of non-medical benefits programs. VBA provides disability compensation benefits to 6 million Veterans and their survivors and administers pension benefits for nearly 300,000 Veterans and their survivors. Through a nationwide network of 56 regional offices, special processing centers, and VBA Headquarters, he will oversee the execution of $189 billion in direct benefits to Veterans and their dependents.
Before assuming the role of Acting Under Secretary, Mr. Frueh was appointed as the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits on February 14, 2021. In that role, he was responsible for the policy, operations and automation initiatives that enabled VA to deliver more benefits to more Veterans more quickly than ever before.
Prior to this appointment, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Performance Management in the Office of Enterprise Integration since June 2019. He was responsible for the Department’s strategic planning, enterprise risk management, performance management, enterprise governance, Evidence Act implementation, requirements management, and the efficient integration of other enterprise-wide initiatives.
He served as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations for the Benefits Assistance Service, responsible for all efficient execution of the benefits, which included all VBA call centers, global outreach, public contact, and the Transition Assistance Program. He was appointed VBA Chief of Staff in 2016, where he served as the senior staff advisor to the Under Secretary for Benefits, responsible for the creation and efficient execution of all VBA policies, programs, and operational plans. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director for VBA’s Loan Guaranty Service.
Prior to joining the U.S. federal civil service, Mr. Frueh worked in the structured finance group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bankers Trust’s asset securitization group, and Andersen Consulting’s commercial practice.
Mr. Frueh received a Presidential Rank Award as a Distinguished Executive in 2017.
