'Steep Learning Curve:' Muted Response to VA Secretary Nominee from Veterans Groups Then White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough delivers remarks at a farewell ceremony for outgoing Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter at the Pentagon, Dec. 2, 2013. (Dept. of Defense/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton) 11 Dec 2020 President-elect Joe Biden's choice of an Obama administration insider with no military or health care background to head the Department of Veterans Affairs has been met with a mix of qualified support, non-commitment, and stunned disappointment by veterans groups. The two largest veterans service organizations, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, reserved judgment on Denis McDonough, former White House chief of staff, to head the VA. Biden announced Thursday that McDonough was his nominee. If confirmed, McDonough would be only the second non-veteran to serve in the post, after Trump VA Secretary David Shulkin.