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Michael Frueh
Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits
Veterans Benefits Administration
Michael James Frueh was appointed the Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits on February 14, 2021. He is responsible for administering benefits programs for Veterans, including education, home loan guaranty, insurance, disability compensation, pension, fiduciary, veteran readiness and employment and transition assistance, in the 29,000 employees, $165B organization. Frueh oversees the policy, operations and automation initiatives that have 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. Frueh previously worked in the structured finance group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bankers Trust’s asset securitization group, and Andersen Consulting’s commercial practice.
Frueh received a Presidential Rank Award as a Distinguished Executive in 2017.
CAREER CHRONOLOGY:
2021 – Present Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits
2019 – 2021 Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Enterprise Integration
2018 – 2019 Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Field Operations, Benefits Assistance Service
2016 – 2018 Chief of Staff, Veterans Benefits Administration
2012 – 2016 Executive Director, Loan Guaranty Service
2002 – 2012 Financial Advisor/Assistant Director/Acting Director, Loan Guaranty Service
EDUCATION:
2005 MBA, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
1991 B.S., Mathematics, Pepperdine University, Seaver College, Malibu, CA
Updated February 2021
