Justin Fulcher, co-founder of the telemedicine startup RingMD, is reportedly leading Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to two sources familiar with the situation. Fulcher, 32, has been observed working from the agency’s 10th floor in the lead-up to an announcement regarding the layoff of over 1,000 employees. His approach has been relatively low-key compared to other DOGE team members, many of whom are young men aggressively seeking access to sensitive information across various federal agencies. Instead, Fulcher has focused on interviewing staff about potential improvements and reviewing programs that may be eliminated, as per the sources who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration last month, the VA, which provides healthcare to veterans nationwide, has experienced changes similar to those in other federal agencies, including the discontinuation of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a hiring freeze, and a directive for employees to return to in-person work. Approximately 20% of the VA’s more than 479,000 employees had remote work options, according to the agency. The VA confirmed last week that it is collaborating with DOGE and stressed that veterans’ medical history and benefits data are not being shared with this new division of the Trump administration.
A protocol liaison officer at the VA recently posted on LinkedIn, identifying Fulcher as one of “six new leaders” within the department. According to the sources, VA staff are being informed that Fulcher is present as a DOGE representative. Some members of Musk’s team are reportedly being directly hired by the agencies where they are tasked with reducing expenditures, as indicated in a filing related to the Education Department. The protocol liaison officer did not respond to requests for further information about the new appointees. Requests for comments from the VA, Fulcher, and RingMD went unanswered.
Before joining Musk’s efficiency team, Fulcher was a serial entrepreneur, having founded three companies between 2005 and 2016, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2017, he was recognized by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list for RingMD, which was based in Singapore with offices throughout Southeast Asia at that time. The U.S. branch of RingMD is located in Charleston, South Carolina. Like many of Musk’s DOGE staffers, Fulcher is a coder, as noted in the Forbes list. His personal website mentions that he launched the Palmetto Initiative in 2023 to enhance South Carolina’s digital infrastructure, aiming to introduce programming in public schools, implement technical workforce development programs, and improve the state’s digital infrastructure. However, additional information about the Palmetto Initiative, described as a nonprofit on its website, could not be located in Internal Revenue Service records.