Cheryl L. Mason

Listed for completeness, and labeled honestly: the Inspector General is not part of Secretary Collins's chain of command. The OIG is independent by law. She is here because this family's complaint is on her desk.

Attorney (JD, Creighton), military spouse, 28-year VA employee, and former chair of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (2017–2022) — the first woman and first military spouse in that job. Before her nomination she spent January–August 2025 as a senior advisor to Secretary Collins. Senate-confirmed July 31, 2025 (53–45) and sworn in August 4, 2025.

Accountable for: audits, inspections, and investigations of the VA — including the September 2026 community-care audit and the ongoing EHR reviews. The Bowman family’s OIG Hotline complaint, filed October 15, 2026, is in her office’s process: OIG states submissions are reviewed within six weeks and complainants are contacted only if a case is opened. The family’s record also holds what that process produced from an earlier complaint: a case-open letter dated September 15, 2026, assigning case 2026-04020-HL-1166 to the information the family reported on July 27, 2026. A case opening is not a finding; the letter states the OIG will contact the family only if it needs more information, or when the case closes.

On video: confirmation-hearing video; OIG publishes report summaries via its site.

Official site: vaoig.gov. Verified October 16, 2026.