Under Secretary for Benefits
Patrick W. Dunne was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as Under Secretary for Benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was confirmed by the Senate on October 2, 2008, and was sworn into office on October 10, 2008. As Under Secretary for Benefits, he leads the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) in the delivery of a wide range of integrated programs of non-medical benefits and services authorized by law to veterans and their dependents and survivors. Through a nationwide network of 57 regional offices, other special processing centers, and VBA Headquarters, he directs the administration of VA’s disability compensation, pension, education, home loan guaranty, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and life insurance programs. The funding levels for these benefit entitlement programs exceed $46 billion annually, and depict the broad scope of these programs and the Under Secretary’s responsibilities. Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary, Mr. Dunne served as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, a position he held from August 3, 2006. As Assistant Secretary, Mr. Dunne served as senior advisor to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, overseeing the Department's strategic planning, policy research and analysis, program evaluation, and the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics – the VA central clearinghouse for veteran and veteran program data. Mr. Dunne also represented the department in interagency functions including the VA/ DoD Senior Oversight Committee, the Joint Executive Council, and the Department of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment. Mr. Dunne retired from the U.S. Navy as a Rear Admiral on December 31, 2005, after completing a tour as President of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. He is a 1972 graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. He earned a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the Naval Postgraduate School and is a graduate of the Navy's Nuclear Power training program. Selected for Flag Rank in 2001, Rear Admiral Dunne’s initial flag assignment was U.S. Pacific Command Representative to Guam/Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Federated States of Micronesia/Republic of Palau and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas. His service at sea includes tours on USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN 636) (BLUE); USS Batfish (SSN 681) and USS Baton Rouge (SSN 689). He served as Commanding Officer of USS Baltimore (SSN 704) and USS Frank Cable (AS 40). Mr. Dunne was born in Washington, DC, and raised in Troy, N.Y. He and his wife have two adult children. October 2008
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