Dive Brief:
- President Donald Trump appointed Lynda Davis chief veterans experience officer with the Department of Veterans Affairs Tuesday.
- The role had remained vacant after John Boerstler stepped down in September.
- Davis, a former Army Signal Officer, served in the role during the first Trump administration. During her tenure, the VA grew veteran trust and implemented VSignals surveys for real-time customer feedback, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
In his first few days in office, Trump has made a flurry of appointments, including some directly impacting federal customer experience.
Davis returns to the role she was first appointed to in 2017. Under her leadership, the veterans experience office launched the White House VA Hotline, a direct, dedicated contact line for veterans staffed, in large part, by veterans.
The department has made large strides in improving its relationship with the veterans it serves over the years. Trust in the VA grew from 55% in 2016 to 80% in 2024, Boerstler said in an outgoing letter.
Customer experience has remained a bipartisan topic, as the first Trump administration and the Biden administration each made strides to improve Americans’ interactions with the government.
Earlier this month, former President Joe Biden signed into law bipartisan legislation meant to improve people’s experience receiving government services. The law established a Federal Government Service Delivery Lead in the Office of Management and Budget.
