Federal 100: Paul R. Lawrence
Name:
Paul R. Lawrence
Title:
Undersecretary for Benefits
Organization:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Management by metrics. When Lawrence took over as undersecretary for benefits in mid-2018, the position had been vacant for more than two years. He quickly set performance goals for the eight lines of business in his portfolio, stressing collaboration, agile governance and transparency for both progress and setbacks. By the end of fiscal 2018, seven of the eight business lines had met or exceeded those targets, improving the veteran experience for claims, appeals, home loan guarantees and other benefits. And the VA's overall trust score among veterans rose from 60 percent in 2016 to hit 90 percent by the end of 2019.