Dr. Linda Schwartz, Former Flight Nurse, Confirmed as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs!

From all who flew with her, our warmest congratulations!

 Veteran, Connecticut Veterans Commissioner, Nominated by President Obama in August 2013

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald today welcomed the confirmation of Connecticut Veterans Commissioner Linda S. Schwartz as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning. 

In this post, Dr. Schwartz will help develop and review VA departmental policy, analyze Veteran trends and statistics, and evaluate VA transformation initiatives. She will play a critical role in guiding VA’s strategic planning and work to implement Secretary McDonald’s vision to transform VA into a nimble, high-performing and responsive organization.

“I welcome Dr. Schwartz to our leadership team,” said Secretary McDonald. “Based on her decades of devotion and hard work on behalf of Veterans and Veterans’ causes, I know she will have an immediate impact in the Agency’s continued mission of serving the great men and women who have proudly worn this Nation’s uniform.”

Dr. Schwartz, a disabled veteran, is currently the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, a position she has held since 2003.  She concurrently serves as an Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing, where she has been on Faculty since 1999, and was appointed Associate Research Scientist and Scholar.  

From 1980 to 1993, she taught at several University and College Schools of Nursing and held leadership roles in nursing organizations in Connecticut.  From 1979 to 1980, she was a caseworker in the Office of the Field Director of the American Red Cross at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany. 

Dr. Linda Schwartz

Dr. Schwartz also served in the United States Air Force (USAF) Nurse Corps from 1968 to 1986, both on Active Duty and as a Reservist. She retired as a Flight Nurse Instructor, with the rank of Major after sustaining injuries in a USAF aircraft accident.  

She received her Bachelors of Science degree in nursing from the University of Maryland School Of Nursing; a Master’s of Science degree from Yale University School of Nursing; and a Dr. PH from the Yale University School of Medicine.

Obama Nominee for Ass't Secretary for Policy & Planning Schwartz Says, "U.S. must find 'better ways' to get medical care to veterans."

Retired Col Linda Schwartz, PhD.

(note: Dr Schwartz once flew with the 74AES from Westover AFB, MA)
Linda Schwartz, the commissioner of Veterans' Affairs in Connecticut, gave the keynote speech at the Community Mental Health Summit hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on Fri., Aug. 22, 2014.
Jesse Chambers | jchambers@al.com
Print Jesse Chambers | jchambers@al.com By Jesse Chambers | jchambers@al.com

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – A recently passed federal law should be good news for veterans seeking to get access to health care through the Veteran's Administration (V.A.), according to Linda Schwartz, the commissioner of Veterans' Affairs in Connecticut.

The Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act – signed by Pres. Obama about two weeks ago – is "massive" and contains "sweeping changes to call the V.A. to be accountable," Schwartz said today at the Doubletree Hotel downtown just prior to her keynote speech at a Community Mental Health Summit hosted by UAB.

As part of the new law, "we are going to see if some of these things that the V.A. has been doing... are effective or not," Schwartz said.

A U.S. Air Force nurse during the Vietnam War, Schwartz has a doctorate in public health from the Yale School of Medicine.  She is also Obama's nominee as assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Linda Schwartz Named as VA Asst Secretary Policy & Planning

Connecticut Gov. Malloy, Lt. Gov. Wyman Statements on

Appointment of Commissioner Linda Schwartz to
the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs
(note: retired AF flight nurse Linda Schwartz, who previously flew with the 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, has left her post as Connecticut's Commissioner for Veterans Affairs to assume duties as Assistant Secretary for VA Policy and Planning. She has been a firm advocate for C-123 exposure issues.)

Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman applauded Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz on her nomination to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If confirmed, Commissioner Schwartz will serve as the new Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, a key administration position.

“I applaud President Obama on his nomination,” said Governor Malloy. “For more than ten years, Commissioner Schwartz has been a strong and important voice for veterans in Connecticut, and she is an excellent choice to serve veterans on a national level. Her appointment is also a great loss for
Connecticut. The Commissioner’s integrity and her work on behalf of Connecticut’s veterans and women veterans, and on the Governor’s Veterans Cabinet has a critical impact on improving how the state delivers programs and services to our veterans and military service members. She has greatly improved the lives of our military men and women.”

“I have known and worked with Commissioner Schwartz for a very long time and have witnessed her commitment and passion for countless veteran’s issues first- hand,” Lt. Governor Wyman said. “Connecticut has been fortunate to have her service and her patriotism, and I am confident that in her new role she will bring that same unmatched sense of caring to our nation’s veterans.”

Commissioner Linda Spoonster Schwartz, a retired U.S. Air Force nurse who served from 1968-1986, has led the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs since 2003. She is a member of the Governor’s Veterans Cabinet, an in initiative launched by Governor Malloy in 2012 to improve delivery of services to veterans, and played a key role in the creation of veterans.ct.gov, a one-stop tool that links veterans and their families to other state and federal agencies offering services in areas such as employment and job training, health care and education.

Commissioner Schwartz is also the President of the Board of the Connecticut State Veterans Memorial, the state’s first memorial honoring all Connecticut veterans. The Veterans Memorial is being constructed in Minuteman Park across from the William A. O’Neill State Armory in Hartford and will be a site for official observances, activities, and ceremonies that honor veterans. 

Message from VVA National President John Rowan
I am proud to announce that one of our own, Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz, has been nominated for the position of Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning at the VA. Linda has been a tireless fighter on behalf of veterans and a long- standing member of VVA. We look forward to her having a large impact on VA operations. Congratulations Linda! 

Linda Schwartz Goes to Washington: WATCH OUT NOW YOU BUREAUCRATS!

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Dr. Linda Spoonster Schwartz – Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs

President Obama said, “These dedicated individuals bring a wealth of experience and talent to their new roles and I am proud to have them serve in this Administration.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

 Linda Spoonster Schwartz, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, Department of Veterans Affairs

Linda Schwartz, a disabled veteran, is Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, a position she has held since 2003.  She concurrently serves as an Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing, where she has been on Faculty since 1999 and was appointed Associate Research Scientist and Scholar.  From 1980 to 1993, she taught at several University and College Schools of Nursing and held leadership roles in Nursing organizations in Connecticut. 

 From 1979 to 1980, she was a caseworker in the Office of the Field Director of the American Red Cross at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany.  Dr. Schwartz served in the United States Air Force (USAF) Nurse Corps from 1968 to 1986, both on Active Duty and as a Reservist.  She retired as a Flight Nurse Instructor, with the rank of Major after sustaining injuries in a USAF Air Craft accident.  In 2001, she served on the Board of Directors of the American Nurses Association and was elected to the American Academy of Nursing.  From 1996 to 2000, she served as a Member and Chair of the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.  She also previously served as President of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs.

She received a B.S. from the University of Maryland, an MSN from Yale University School of Nursing, and a Dr.P.H from the Yale University School of Medicine.