Paul Lawrence

All veterans and their families deserve the maximum benefits they earned by bravely serving their country!

Veterans of the United States are entitled to a broad range of benefits and services provided by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Dr. Paul R Lawrence, former Under Secretary for Benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and accessible guide to all the benefits and services available to veterans and how to make the most of these… Show more

All veterans and their families deserve the maximum benefits they earned by bravely serving their country!

Veterans of the United States are entitled to a broad range of benefits and services provided by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Dr. Paul R Lawrence, former Under Secretary for Benefits in the Department of Veterans Affairs, provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and accessible guide to all the benefits and services available to veterans and how to make the most of these benefits and services. Show less

Military veterans who served even decades ago might not be aware of all the benefits available to them today. Some older veterans haven’t heard about new or recently modified benefits…and others don’t realize that they’re even eligible or have sworn off interacting with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after being infuriated by its red tape. But the VA is trying to improve, and the benefits can be well worth the trouble for vets and their families. This article briefly describes five… Show more

Military veterans who served even decades ago might not be aware of all the benefits available to them today. Some older veterans haven’t heard about new or recently modified benefits…and others don’t realize that they’re even eligible or have sworn off interacting with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after being infuriated by its red tape. But the VA is trying to improve, and the benefits can be well worth the trouble for vets and their families. This article briefly describes five important benefits that can help Veterans accelerate their pursuit of the American Dream Show less

Additional hiring flexibilities and compensation changes would allow VBA to respond faster to new legal requirements.

The challenges facing the Veteran Benefits Administration may make it a good place to test a Management Corps. This innovative approach could enhance the management skills of government leaders and provide a track for those who have special expertise.

Can one person and an executive team make a difference in a large government bureaucracy?

The answer to each question is “yes.” In Transforming Service to Veterans, Paul Lawrence describes his accomplishments as the leader of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).

VBA disburses $120 billion in annual benefits to Veterans. Historically, administering benefits has not met Veterans’ expectations. Long wait times, ambiguity, and errors created the perception that nothing could… Show more

Can one person and an executive team make a difference in a large government bureaucracy?

The answer to each question is “yes.” In Transforming Service to Veterans, Paul Lawrence describes his accomplishments as the leader of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA).

VBA disburses $120 billion in annual benefits to Veterans. Historically, administering benefits has not met Veterans’ expectations. Long wait times, ambiguity, and errors created the perception that nothing could be done to improve service to Veterans. This began to change in Spring 2018.

Paul Lawrence was unanimously confirmed as Under Secretary for Benefits in April 2018, the only political appointee in VBA, overseeing 25,000 career employees. During Lawrence’s nearly three years as Under Secretary, Veterans received more benefits faster and at a lower cost than at any time in VBA history. As a businessman, he implemented proven business practices, streamlined the bureaucracy, and created a public presence rebranding VBA as an organization successfully supporting Veterans.

Transforming Service to Veterans presents Lawrence’s journey from a business executive to political appointee charged with providing benefits to Veterans and implementing high-profile Veteran-focused legislation. He describes how he and his executive team assessed VBA’s performance, identified problems and solutions, and determined an effective path forward. A key part of his work was hands-on management and a relentless focus on performance improvement.

The critical challenges he encountered and overcame are described in detail, explaining what worked and why in these areas:

• Managing and improving performance
• Managing people and stakeholders
• Managing during the Pandemic
• Implementing congressional mandates

Lawrence concludes by presenting ideas to further improve VBA. Show less

What senior leaders should expect and how they can make the most of the opportunity they have been given.

16 Former Deputy Secretaries share insights about a critical-but often ambiguous-job.

The goal of this book is to speed up the proverbial learning curve of new political appointees. Only a select number of appointees will be fortunate enough to arrive early in a new administration (in Jan/Feb 2017). Most appointees will arrive throughout 2017 due to the long and cumbersome confirmation process. They will find themselves playing "catch-up" during most of their first year. This book provides insights from former executives who served during the Obama Administration and a… Show more

The goal of this book is to speed up the proverbial learning curve of new political appointees. Only a select number of appointees will be fortunate enough to arrive early in a new administration (in Jan/Feb 2017). Most appointees will arrive throughout 2017 due to the long and cumbersome confirmation process. They will find themselves playing "catch-up" during most of their first year. This book provides insights from former executives who served during the Obama Administration and a select number of political executives in Europe. Show less

To understand the challenges of political leadership and how top executives succeed in accomplishing an Administration’s objectives, business-in-government experts Paul R. Lawrence and Mark Abramson present the findings of a four-year study of top political appointees in the Obama Administration. The 42 participants—Deputy Secretaries and agency heads—provide case studies of how each approaches the management challenges and achieves the mission of their organization.

Full of behind the… Show more

To understand the challenges of political leadership and how top executives succeed in accomplishing an Administration’s objectives, business-in-government experts Paul R. Lawrence and Mark Abramson present the findings of a four-year study of top political appointees in the Obama Administration. The 42 participants—Deputy Secretaries and agency heads—provide case studies of how each approaches the management challenges and achieves the mission of their organization.

Full of behind the scene insights and practical advice from government political executives on how they face management challenges in real time, “What Government Does: How Political Executives Manage” offers indispensable insights to current and prospective political appointees and everyone interested in understanding how leaders make government agencies more effective.

This new book presents an insightful framework of what government does. Instead of thinking about government by policy area, the authors present an alternative approach in which government executives are categorized by the type of agency they are managing. The book includes chapters on Deputy Secretaries, producers, regulators, infrastructors, scientists and collaborators. Show less

In this new, revised edition, Mark Abramson and Paul Lawrence continue their firsthand exploration of the job of a political executive. Through additional research and interviews, they present more insights into the challenges of political leadership. Three new chapters include analyses of the role of the political executive as “Builder”, “Manager” and “Innovator”.

In Paths to Making a Difference, Paul R. Lawrence and Mark A. Abramson present the findings of a two year's study of top political appointees in the Obama administration The goal of the study is to understand the challenges of political leadership and how top executives succeed in accomplishing an administration's objectives