Cheryl Mason, an attorney who once served as the chief executive officer of the Board of Veterans' Appeals and now works as a senior adviser to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, has been nominated as the department's next inspector general.
The nomination, announced late Tuesday, comes amid an ongoing lawsuit over the firings in January by President Donald Trump of more than a dozen inspectors general across the federal government, including Michael Missal, who had served as the VA's top watchdog since 2016.
Mason has worked on and off for the VA since 1990, gaining increasing responsibility across nearly three decades, including serving as a veterans law judge and managing the Board of Veterans' Appeals from 2017 to 2022, according to her LinkedIn page.
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In February, she was named senior adviser to Collins, and in March was nominated to serve as assistant secretary in the VA's Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection.
The appointment of an inspector general has been a top priority for members of Congress who oversee the VA. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, repeatedly has asked VA officials when a nominee would be put forward.
On Tuesday, during Collins's first appearance before Congress since his nomination hearing in January, Moran again asked about the position.
"I've indicated ... in many conversations and certainly hearings in which VA staff are witnesses, that the return of an inspector general is a high priority for me. What's the plan?" Moran asked.
Collins said the department had asked the White House and welcomed the oversight.
"We've encouraged the inspector general to be named and look forward to that being in place," Collins said.
In response to a notice regarding Mason's nomination, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the committee's top Democrat, immediately took issue with the selection, saying she was "the wrong choice" for the job, given that the position is supposed to be independent and nonpartisan.
"This nomination is especially problematic because Ms. Mason has been point person in muzzling VA workers and directing them to sign non-disclosure agreements," Blumenthal said in a release Tuesday.
"Veterans deserve an inspector general who will conduct investigations free of interference and collusion from Collins and the Trump administration. Otherwise, we will be putting veterans at even greater risk of corruption and abuse of power," Blumenthal added.
Eight of the inspectors general who were fired in January filed a lawsuit in February alleging they were illegally fired based on a federal law that requires the president to provide Congress with 30 days' notice before dismissing an inspector general, including a concise, written explanation for the firing.
The inspectors general sought an emergency injunction that would return them to work, with back pay, but that request was denied, and the legal case continues. During a hearing March 27, Federal District Court Judge Ana Reyes said she was unlikely to reinstate the inspectors general even though the president may have broken the law in firing them.
"I do not see how I can reinstate the IGs even if I find that the statute is constitutional," Reyes said. "I think what we would be dealing with maybe would be either back pay, or something of the sort."
Government Executive magazine reported in March that as senior adviser, Mason told Veterans Benefits Administration employees that they could not have direct contact with the Office of General Counsel without her permission.
VBA employees are known to consult local and regional attorneys for legal advice and guidance on claims.
Mason is the wife of a retired Air Force officer. She is the author of a book on leadership and has worked as a motivational speaker. Her nomination will require Senate confirmation.
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