Veterans Affairs
VA’s early uses of robots have shown mixed success, but excitement remains
Early uses of robots across VA hospitals have highlighted the promises and drawbacks of the technologies, but they have also shown the capabilities these tools can offer clinicians, according to Acting Chief Innovation Officer Beth Ripley.
VA is increasingly looking to AI to enhance claims processing
The department is planning to broaden its machine learning-powered Automated Decision Support tool to cover more types of claims.
VA doesn't know how many calls it's answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
Targeted AI adoption can drive change, current and former officials say
Agencies “don't need the fanciest AI model on the marketplace” to enhance their customer-facing operations, according to former VA Chief Experience Officer John Boerstler.
VA takes initial steps to create a centralized database of veteran research info, official says
The department has created an internal working group to look at “developing a singular database where we can capture veteran enrollment data in real time,” according to Liza Catucci, VA’s acting director of health systems research.
VA’s latest AI inventory includes new suicide, EHR-focused use cases
Seventy-two of the AI use cases previously included in the department’s 2024 inventory were listed as retired, meaning that their “development and/or use has since been discontinued.”
VA’s National Cemetery Administration earns top customer satisfaction scores
For the eighth year in a row, the small agency earned the highest rankings in the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Digital GI bill delays are a reflection of VA’s IT management problem, lawmakers say
Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., said the delays and cost overruns affecting VA’s new digital GI Bill system were “not unique.”
VA secretary: EHR deployments are ‘going to be done in the right way’
VA Secretary Doug Collins told lawmakers they “have every right to be skeptical” as EHR go-lives resume in April but said the modernization project is back on track.
VA watchdog lists EHR modernization as a major management challenge
VA’s Office of Inspector General said “there remain 32 OIG recommendations that are not fully implemented” as the department moves to resume deployments of its new EHR system in April.
VHA lacks ‘formal mechanism’ for mitigating clinical AI chatbot risks, watchdog says
VA’s OIG said it is concerned “about VHA’s ability to promote and safeguard patient safety without a standardized process for managing AI-related risks.”
VA readies to restart EHR deployments in 2026, despite lingering lawmaker unease
VA and Oracle Health say the modernization project’s operational pause has allowed them to enhance the new software’s usability and effectiveness.
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Lawmakers question VA health record’s costs and batched deployments
The agency is looking to deploy its new Oracle Health EHR near simultaneously at four Michigan medical facilities in April 2026.
Lawmaker looks to shake up VA’s software management
Legislation from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., prioritizes waste reduction when it comes to the roughly $1 billion that VA spends annually on software assets.
NDAA includes directive for DOD to prioritize use of AI for mental health needs
The House Armed Services Committee’s report accompanying the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act said the panel “believes the rate of military suicide is unacceptably high and that a new approach is required to solve this pervasive problem.”
Lawmakers signal support for using AI to prevent veteran suicides in FY26 VA funding bill reports
“There is a significant need to improve early suicide indicators and detection using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness throughout veteran service delivery,” according to a House Appropriations panel report.
OpenAI offers US veterans free year of its ChatGPT Plus service
Veterans and transitioning servicemembers can register for the plan if they are within 12 months of their retirement or separation from active duty.
Post-9/11 veterans group’s project to modernize VA healthcare includes suicide prevention focus
The initiative from the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is helmed by former VA Secretary David Shulkin and is looking into seven preliminary areas of care.
Inside Mission Daybreak: VA’s effort to support innovative suicide prevention
VA’s director of data and analytics innovation said the program “is looking for what is the right solution for the ways that we want to optimize care, and sometimes that's technology, and sometimes it isn't.”
VA’s AI suicide prevention tools aren’t meant to replace clinical interventions — advocates want it to stay that way
The AI tools currently being used to identify veterans at high-risk of suicide always include human outreach.
