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Almost two million Veterans now have easier access to their health care and benefits in the palm of their hand using the VA Health and Benefits mobile app.
The path to two million downloads
The Office of Information and Technology (OIT) launched the flagship mobile app in 2021 with the aim of offering Veterans a user-friendly, all-in-one platform to easily manage the most common Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits tasks. As the mobile app continues to expand and evolve, VA is adding features Veterans tell us they need the most.
Designing with Veterans
One key to the app’s success has been its user-centered design approach. We rely heavily on Veterans’ input during the design and development process to ensure that the app meets their unique needs and preferences. From the very beginning of the app’s development, this approach continues to be a driving force in the features and tools that are modernized and added along the way. OIT has emerged as a leader in the government IT space by committing to design with Veterans instead of for them.
The VA Health and Benefits mobile app is a testament to this commitment, with several features that illustrate OIT’s design philosophy:
- User Feedback: Veterans provide feedback about the app, helping VA identify areas for improvement and new features that can enhance their experience.
- User Testing: The app undergoes rigorous testing with Veterans to ensure its usability and effectiveness. Some features and functionalities of the app have been co-created with Veterans, ensuring that the app truly addresses their needs.
- Accessibility: The app prioritizes accessibility, making it inclusive for Veterans with various needs and abilities.
We introduced the app as an easy, streamlined, and secure digital gateway to Veterans’ health care and benefits information and services. This immediate and mobile access to vital health information can be incredibly impactful for Veterans, particularly those living in remote or rural areas, where reaching VA facilities may be challenging. As the app’s popularity and use continue to grow, we work with our users to incorporate new features like biometric login and prescription refill to offer Veterans a quick and safe way to manage their VA prescriptions from anywhere.
This year, we also added a new accessibility feature so that, for the first time, blind Veterans can read their decision letters virtually. These continual additions have transformed the app into a valuable tool for all Veterans, regardless of age, background, ability, and location. The journey of the VA Health and Benefits mobile app demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative, accessible, and Veteran-centric digital solutions.
Frequently used and popular features among Veterans:
- Claims and Appeals: Veterans can easily follow and manage their claims and appeals through the app, ensuring they know what’s happening with their claims.
- Prescriptions: The app feature makes it simple for Veterans to get their medicines and reminders on time. Users can access and refill refillable VA-dispensed prescriptions.
- Secure Messaging: Veterans can securely chat with their VA health care providers, making their health care experience more seamless.
In addition to these popular features, Veterans can view and cancel health care appointments, upload documentation to VA, get vaccine records, locate VA facilities, access the Veterans Crisis Line, show retailers their Veteran status, and more.
The VA Health and Benefits mobile app maintains a 4.8-star rating on the Apple App Store and a 4.6-star rating on the Google Play Store, showcasing how pleased Veterans and their families are with how well the app works and its ease of use.
In addition to almost two million unique user downloads (and counting), the app has more than 865,000 active monthly users, more than 194,000 prescriptions refilled, more than 995,000 views of medical appointments, over 401,000 benefit letters downloaded, and more than 298,000 secure messages sent.
New features are on the way
We’re always working on making the app better. In the past year, the VA Health and Benefits mobile app has expanded its features to include prescription refills, which allows Veterans to securely access prescription information using a mobile device.
Upcoming VA Health and Benefits mobile app features planned for release in the next year will allow Veterans to:
- View lab and test results
- Receive travel pay reimbursement
- Receive additional push notifications
- Schedule appointments
VA is focused on delivering continuous improvements. The app’s features will continue to expand and evolve based on Veteran needs.
Downloading the app is fast, free, and easy!
To access the VA Health and Benefits mobile app, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store on your mobile device, search “VA,” and download the VA: Health and Benefits mobile app. Also, view the official OIT YouTube instructional videos for guided instructions on the different features.
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