Designing VA Websites

Web pages must be navigable from home pages and organized logically with easy navigation pathways for website visitors.

Electronic forms, filing, and signatures

Websites must, when practical, use electronic forms, electronic filing, and electronic signatures to conduct official business with the public. Images of an original official signature will not be displayed. The proper way to indicate an official signature for a document on a website (when there is a requirement that a signature be displayed) is the electronic signature designator (/s/) inserted before the typed name.

VA will implement applicable policies and standards for public access to electronic information per Section 207(e) of the E-Government Act, Public Access to Electronic Information.

Section 207(e)

(e) PUBLIC ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC INFORMATION-

   (1) COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS- Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Committee shall submit recommendations to the Director and the Archivist of the United States on–

      (A) the adoption by agencies of policies and procedures to ensure that chapters 21, 25, 27, 29, and 31 of title 44, United States Code, are applied effectively and comprehensively to Government information on the Internet and to other electronic records; and

      (B) the imposition of timetables for the implementation of the policies and procedures by agencies.

   (2) FUNCTIONS OF THE ARCHIVIST- Not later than 1 year after the submission of recommendations by the Committee under paragraph (1), the Archivist of the United States shall issue policies–

      (A) requiring the adoption by agencies of policies and procedures to ensure that chapters 21, 25, 27, 29, and 31 of title 44, United States Code, are applied effectively and comprehensively to Government information on the Internet and to other electronic records; and

      (B) imposing timetables for the implementation of the policies, procedures, and technologies by agencies.

   (3) MODIFICATION OF POLICIES- After the submission of agency reports under paragraph    (4), the Archivist of the United States shall modify the policies, as needed, in consultation with the Committee and interested parties.

   (4) AGENCY FUNCTIONS- Each agency shall report annually to the Director, in the report established under section 202(g), on compliance of that agency with the policies issued under paragraph (2)(A).

View the full text the E-Government Act of 2002

Copyright, trademark and patent laws

Any posted material such as documents, graphics, or audio files procured from the private sector will be reviewed to ensure compliance with copyright, trademark, and patent laws.

Record archival

Web records shall be managed per National Archives and Records Administration requirements that govern federal government record-keeping practices, the management and disposition of records, risk mitigation, and other issues related to the creation, accumulation, integrity, and disposition of web records.

Information security

Websites will secure information systems and the information they contain through the integration of appropriate risk mitigation strategies within the systems, business operations, and missions.

Data standards

Websites that provide material and data for downloading by the user for off-line analysis or manipulation will provide the data in open, industry-standard formats or in alternative formats that do not impose a burden on the intended audience and that permit the data to be manipulated and organized.

Cookies

Persistent cookies are permitted on websites as outlined in VA Handbook 6502.3, Webpage Privacy Policy. Use of first and third party cookies is also covered in this publication.

Session cookies are permitted on websites so visitors can conduct business with the Department and do not require permission for use.

Also see the VA’s Cookies webpage for more information.

HTTPS everywhere initiative

Content owners will ensure that all hard-coded hyperlinks to VA resources beginning with “http://” are updated to “https://” in support of changes made for the Presidential HTTPS Everywhere Initiative. If content has not been updated to support HTTPS only, pages may appear broken, contain broken links, or images could be missing.

It is the responsibility of Site Owners, Developers, Content and Application Managers to ensure sites have current, valid Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates in place.

VA’s enterprise content management systems

Web content and technical leads and managers will use the designated Enterprise Content Management Systems unless approved by the appropriate Web Communication Office. Web content, technical leads, and web managers should test pages to ensure VA Directive 6102 and the guidance on this website are met.

Metadata

Web pages will incorporate standardized metadata to ensure uniformity in VA web page method and presentation.

The following table provides an overview of metadata elements for website home pages.

 
Element Description Format
Title Formal title on the webpage (52 characters) Free Text
Subject An abstract or short summary of the content of the webpage (Less than 150 characters) Free Text
Author The VA Administration branch and office responsible for the content Free Text
Date Created Original date the content was created YYYYMMDD
Date Reviewed Date on which the content was last reviewed YYYYMMDD
Language Language authority list

The following table provides an overview of required and strongly recommended metadata for elements non-HTML documents, such as PDF’s posted on websites (excluding draft or collaborative documents). To fill out these items in Adobe Acrobat DC, select file, then properties, and fill-out the elements listed below.

 
Element Action Description Format
Title Required Formal title of resource Free Text
Subject Required An abstract or short summary of the content of the resource Free Text
Author Strongly recommended The VA Administration and office responsible for the content Free Text
Keywords Strongly recommended Use words that describe the resource. Be specific. Free Text

On this page: