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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is doubling down on our efforts to deliver delightful end-user experiences through world-class technologies. From the VA Health and Benefits mobile app to telehealth services, we’re meeting Veterans where they are with simple, accessible, digital tools and services — ensuring Veterans have the means to connect with VA care and services whether they’re at home, at a clinic, or on the road.
But don’t just take it from us. Explore Beyond the Uniform: Vets Driving VA Digital Experiences1, as Veterans tell their own stories. This short documentary film sheds light on how VA technology is making their lives better when accessing the health care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
Same Mission, New Solutions
The release of Beyond the Uniform articulates our vision for digital transformation and welcomes Veterans, caregivers, VA partners, technologists, and the public to an up-close and personal view of what goes into the digital services we offer, and the experiences our customers are reporting.
New VA technologies, along with increased Veteran participation and visibility, are already proving to make an impact on the Veteran community. As U.S. Army Veteran, Mr. Stephen Barrs shares in Beyond the Uniform, “it’s reliable. It’s what Veterans need. It’s designed by Veterans through usability studies, and it works.”
VA operates a hugely complex IT organization, with over 1,000 systems in use nationwide. For Veterans like Mr. Barrs, sifting through the deep sea of VA service information was once confusing, frustrating, and time-consuming. Lack of accessibility or geographical hurdles also accounted for Veterans’ barriers to access to their health care and benefits. However, advances to VA technology have allowed us to improve and deliver seamless experiences, as we serve more Veterans than ever before.
We’re making it easier for Veterans to find and apply for benefits online with the new and improved VA.gov site and VA Health and Benefits mobile app. We’re expanding telehealth capabilities, expediting claims processing with robotic process automation, dramatically simplifying the way Veterans find and apply for benefits, and exploring groundbreaking digital approaches like artificial intelligence. We’re developing tools to meet Veterans where they are, so they can access the VA products and services they need anytime, anywhere.
A Day in the Life
Accomplishing our digital transformation goals requires a paradigm shift from the way most people think about the Federal Government and IT. Beyond the Uniform demonstrates that paradigm shift in detail as Veterans from across the country share their everyday experiences.
Ms. Wanda Grover, a U.S. Army Veteran, shares how innovative tools like My HealtheVet are truly life-changing. “I think it’s valuable in that I have some ownership and some control over my medical records, and I think that’s something new in this day and age.”
Check out Beyond the Uniform to discover more untold stories from the Veterans who rely on VA for care, and from the Veterans who are driving innovation at VA to provide that care.
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