John Plahovinsak
On January 29, 2025, Air Force Veteran Lourdes Tiglao and Navy Veteran James Albino were dismissed from their Center Directors positions by Acting Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Todd Hunter.
Ms. Tiglao was the Director of the Center for Women Veterans and Mr. Albino was the Director of the Center for Minority Veterans. The Center Directors were “political appointee” assignments for six (6) year terms, however, the individuals only completed three (3) years of their terms.
These two (2) Centers were created within the VA in a November 1994 Public Law 103-446. The Center for Women Veterans was established to advocate for women in the VA health care and benefits system.
Women make up 11% of the U.S. veteran population, and that figure is expected to grow to 18% by 2048, according to the Pew Research Center.
The Center for Minority Veterans’ Mission is to ensure that veterans receive equal services at the VA regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender. More than one-quarter of today’s veterans belong to a racial or ethnic minority, with that expected to rise to nearly one-third by 2045.
According to a January 30, 2025, correspondence by Representatives Mark Takano and Julia Brownley to Acting VA Secretary Todd Hunter, “in establishing the Center for Minority Veterans and the Center for Women Veterans, Congress demonstrated its commitment to ensuring all veterans receive equal access to the benefits and care they have earned through their service to our nation.”
“Women are the fastest-growing group of veterans,” they wrote, “Nearly a third of current active-duty service members identify as a racial minority. Millions of veterans are not Caucasian white males, and those numbers will continue to grow as women and minorities continue to heed the call to service and don the uniform with pride.”
Both Representatives stated, “We will remind you, once again, that these two programs were created by Congress through statute, and that our (VA) Committee has a vital role in providing oversight and accountability to any administrative changes that may impact the intent of these centers.”
The Representatives’ letter wanted information on six (6) questions, with responses due by February 7, 2025. The questions ranged from why the two (2) Directors were removed to a listing of any other employees that were planned to be removed from the two (2) Centers.
The last two (2) questions dealt with a request for detailed plans to ensure that the Center for Women Veterans and the Center for Minority Veterans continue their efforts to connect women and minority veterans with VA programs and benefits that meet their needs.
My Opinion: Both Veterans Lourdes Tiglao and James Albino were considered presidential appointments and, therefore, fell into the classification of “political appointees.” These “political appointees” serve at the will of the President and can be removed/dismissed at any time.
When former President Biden assumed the presidency in 2021, he took seven (7) months to remove the Directors of the Centers of Women Veterans and Minority Veterans (who were appointed by President Trump) and then appoint Tiglao and Albino to those positions.
President Trump only took ten (10) days to remove both Tiglao and Albino.
Ms. Lynda Davis, a former Army Signal Officer, will act as Director for the Center for Women Veterans, according to the VA, until a permanent Director is named. Army veteran and Center for Minority Veterans Deputy Director Debra Walker has been named Acting Director of the Center until a permanent Director is named.
According to the VA, these removals “were not related to the VA’s dismantling of offices responsible for overseeing and promoting diversity initiatives.”
That effort complied with an Executive Order banning diversity and equality programs, and led to sixty (60) employees being placed on “Administrative Leave” with full pay, but facing eventual dismissal.
As of February 3, 2025, the new VA Secretary has not been confirmed by the United States Senate.
The correspondence from Representatives Mark Takano and Julia Brownley requesting detailed plans for both Centers will not be answered by the Acting VA Directors – because that will be the responsibility of the new Secretary of the VA, whenever the Senate confirms him.
We will have to wait and see what happens to the Centers of Women Veterans and Minority Veterans in the future. Although both Centers were enacted into Public Law in 1994, it is the Center Directors who control and direct all the activities of the Center employees.
I am sure that Veteran Service Organizations, such as the American Legion (AmL), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), will be monitoring the situation closely.
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a retired 32-year Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio’s Hospital Chairman and Adjutant for DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be reached at: plahovinsak@msn.com.