The Department of Veterans Affairs announces that its top health administrator has left the position and that a temporary replacement has been named, according to VA officials cited by multiple outlets. Dr. Lee Payne, a retired Air Force major general and physician, is selected to serve in an acting capacity as under secretary for health. All three reports describe the same transition: the outgoing administrator departs the role and Payne steps in temporarily rather than as a permanent appointee. The coverage does not include detailed reasons for the departure or provide a timeline for when a permanent under secretary for health might be selected. The reports also do not add additional responsibilities beyond Payne’s acting role. The shared information focuses on Payne’s credentials—his medical background and former senior military leadership—as well as his assignment as the VA’s acting under secretary for health while the department fills the vacancy.