Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence discusses progress, priorities and new efforts to improve the transition from service to civilian careers.

G.I. Jobs recently spoke with Paul Lawrence, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and an Army veteran, about how the VA is strengthening support for veterans – particularly those transitioning from military service to civilian life.

Lawrence assumed the department’s second-highest position in January 2025. He previously served as under secretary of benefits during the first Trump administration, bringing more than 35 years of private-sector experience solving complex management challenges in large organizations. He is also the author of several books, including Veteran Benefits for You: Get What You Deserve.

He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Tech and has been featured in G.I. Jobs multiple times.

Below are highlights from his conversation with G.I. Jobs, edited for brevity.

To watch the full video interview, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFE9cs-Swjo.

G.I. Jobs: What has been the most significant accomplishment of the VA during the forty seventh administration? What are you most proud of?

Lawrence: That’s a hard one because there’s a lot to go through, but I would probably pick three or four. I think we’re really proud of the fact that we housed almost 52,000 homeless veterans last year, which is the highest in seven years. In addition, we’ve opened 33 healthcare clinics to provide health care to our veterans, and this is particularly important because we know that’s what they want, especially for our veterans who don’t live in big cities with great transportation. And then we’re particularly proud of reducing the backlog of getting our veterans their monetary benefits faster. The backlog of claims that were waiting over 125 days when we showed up was 265,00. And earlier this week, it went under 100,000. So it’s a really big deal to be able to tell veterans we’re processing your claims faster than ever before, and we’re doing more of them. 

G.I. Jobs: That’s so impressive. What is the VA doing differently to improve transition from military service to civilian life in general?

Lawrence: Well, there are a couple of big things. Last year, our secretary signed a memo with the secretary of war where it formally announced we’re going to work more closely together. This would seem like a small thing except that it had never been done before, and that sets in motion the framework by which we can work more closely with DOW in that handoff.

So some examples include, how can we get veterans their benefits faster by working with them while they’re still in service? You might know of benefits delivery or discharge, BDD. How can we make that a better program? How can we get their military records faster so they don’t have to wait to get their claims? 

And then finally, how can we work on getting veterans great jobs? And here’s the intersection of our agendas in the defense industrial base. All the things we talk about to defend our country. More ships, for example. Well, who’s going to build those ships? Couldn’t that be veterans? The Golden Dome. Who’s going to build the kind of things we need for that? And even if you just do some simple stuff like artificial intelligence in the data centers, we need electricians. So how about we figure out how veterans might do that? So it’s a combination of working more closely with DOW and then trying to figure out how to connect veterans to a great job.

G.I. Jobs: Where do you see the biggest gaps in that transition process? And how are you addressing them? 

Lawrence: Veteran unemployment is low, and that’s good. But what we also notice is the labor force participation rate. How many veterans are actively looking for jobs? That number needs to be higher, which means there are veterans sitting on the sideline, and for whatever reason, they’re not trying to find a job. And we need to figure out what is going to get you to connect, and one of the best ways to connect is with the job. You leave the military. You had a great tribe. You had meaning, purpose and you earned money. So getting a job recreates some of that. So that’s one thing. 

We’re also thinking hard about, what else can you connect to? You can connect by going to school. We want to make sure our administration of the GI Bill is really good, so when you apply for that benefit, you get it quickly. But also, we’re giving you advice about the best places to go. I don’t mean to pick on sociologists, but we don’t need a whole lot more of those. We need more engineers and the kind of things we just described in terms of the defense industrial base. We need to be telling that. 

And quite frankly, we have needs that are not going to be satisfied by college. An apprenticeship can get you to the place you would enjoy and earn a good living. Electricians, like I mentioned, truck drivers, HVAC people are all needed. So we want to make sure veterans understand that. 

And finally, connect with your community. We also are very concerned about you connecting with faith-based institutions, your church or whatever it is, so that you have some connectivity into the community that replicates what you experienced in the military?

G.I. Jobs: What kind of steps do you recommend that individuals take before separation to engage with the VA at an earlier point?

Lawrence: Oh, this is a great question. I’m going to turn you into a commercial for us because that’s actually the best practice. That’s what we encourage everybody to do. Nothing is more disappointing to realize that those folks who take their own life, 70%, I think, are not connected with us. So nothing is more disappointing.

But you’re right. Please connect early with us. Learn about these benefits. By the time you come to the TAP program (Transition Assistance Program), sadly, you’re going to get a fire hose of information. You might not remember it. But these are earned benefits, so you should understand what they are. As early as you can, you should appreciate that. Benefits delivery discharge, like I talked about, 180 days out, you can apply for benefits. Understand what that means so you can have them when you get out. But, yes, come early, connect and understand what that means. Learn about us. One thing we encourage everybody to do is get an account on VA.gov. You’ll see lots of information.

To watch the video interview, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFE9cs-Swjo.