Healey appoints Santiago as first-ever veterans’ services secretary

Gov. Maura Healey appointed state Rep. Jon Santiago as the commonwealth’s first-ever secretary of veterans’ services, a position that was created in response to a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at a long-term care facility for former soldiers.

Santiago, an emergency medicine physician and major in the U.S. Army Reserve, will lead the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services, a cabinet that was formed through legislation passed in 2022, following the “devastating tragedy at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home” two years earlier, Healey’s office said Friday.

The appointment becomes effective upon establishment of the secretariat on March 1, when Santiago will be sworn into his new role.

In a statement, Healey said Santiago has dedicated his life to serving his country, pointing to his work in the emergency room at Boston Medical Center during COVID, his two overseas deployments with the U.S. Army Reserve, and advocacy for housing, public transportation and substance-use disorder treatment as a state lawmaker.

“His public health expertise and military service makes him uniquely qualified to serve as Massachusetts’ first-ever secretary of veterans’ services,” Healey said. “I’m confident that he will be the leader our veterans need and deserve and will always stand up for their health, safety and well-being.”

As secretary, Santiago will serve as the ultimate appointing authority of the superintendents of the state’s two veterans’ homes. He will work closely with the newly-constituted Veterans’ Home Council, also created by last year’s legislation.

This council’s responsibilities include recommending improvements and policies for veterans’ homes to the secretary of veterans’ services, submitting recommendations for appointments and removal of veterans’ homes superintendents, and developing an annual report reviewing its own finances, demographics, staffing levels and resident well-being, Healey’s office said.

Santiago, a Puerto Rico native who lives in the South End with his wife and son, will step down from the Legislature to assume what he described as a “historic position.”

“Our veterans deserve the absolute highest quality of care, but they are far too often underserved,” Santiago said in a statement. “The Healey-Driscoll administration is committed to meeting the complex needs of those who have bravely served our country.”

The Democrat has represented the 9th Suffolk District since 2019, taking on increased responsibility during the pandemic.

He was a member of the House COVID-19 working group and vice chair of the COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness & Management committee, to “advise policy-making and ensure state government accountability,” Healey’s office said.

Santiago attained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s of public health from the University of Washington at Seattle, and is a graduate of the Yale School of Medicine.

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