VA loses another key official

The troubled Department of Veterans Affairs is losing another top official.

Tim McClain, who has served as the VA’s general counsel since 2001, is resigning effective Sept. 1 to return to the private sector, Secretary Jim Nicholson announced today.

As general counsel, McClain is the chief legal adviser to the secretary and the department’s senior leaders. He also manages the Office of the General Counsel and its nearly 400 attorneys nationwide.

“McClain has been an integral part of VA’s senior leadership team as our chief legal adviser, and I commend his dedicated service to our nation’s veterans,” Nicholson said.

“The experience has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally,” McClain said.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, McClain served as a surface warfare officer during the Vietnam War. He earned his law degree from California Western School of Law in 1978 and served in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He retired from active duty in 1990 and held positions in the private sector before joining the VA.