VA CUSTOMER 

EXPERIENCE

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

REPORT

NOVEMBER 2020

Last updated 11/16/2020
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 2

“Our first priority is customer service. That’s the prime directive.”

—VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

In 2015, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) embarked on the noble and 

innovative mission of adopting and applying the best practices of customer experience (CX) from 

government and industry to our delivery of care, benefits, and memorial services for all our Veterans. The Veteran 

Experience Office (VEO) was established in the Office of the Secretary to lead the enterprise-wide goal to hardwire 

the “voice of the Veteran” into all policy, planning, programs, and practices to improve Veterans’ customer 

experience, earn their trust, and give them every reason to Choose VA. 

In 2018, Secretary Wilkie reinforced these initial foundational actions by making CX his number one priority not 

only for Veterans but for their families, caregivers, survivors, and for all VA employees. 

The accomplishments in this document represent just some of the major achievements in the strategic deployment 

of VEO’s shared CX capabilities—data, tools, technology, and engagement—to all customers over the last 5 years:

» Data—such as the 65 VSignals surveys that have captured 5.8 million responses including 2.2 million free-text 

comments.

» Tools—like the initial deployment VA’s “Own the Moment” CX training to over 100,000 employees, and the 

deployment of Red Coat Ambassadors to improve patients’ experience at VA health care facilities.

» Technology—like the White House VA Hotline and 1-800-MYVA411 Contact Center that have answered nearly 2.8 

million customer calls, and a redesigned VA.gov that has improved Veterans’ access to information.

» Engagement—such as the #VetResources newsletter and #VetXL virtual events that have 238 million e-mail 

opens and video views, 44 million clicks to resources, and have answered more than 9,600 customer questions.

These have enabled us to listen to and learn from our Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and employees 

in real time and to deliver more rapid, results-driven responses to their requests and recommendations. 

To institutionalize the mission of customer service, VA also published our first-ever CX policy in 2018, and in 2019, 

codified CX Principles in the Code of Federal Regulations (38 C.F.R. Part 0 Subpart A § 0.603) as part of our Core 

Values. Enterprise-wide governance councils are now in place to standardize service recovery, modernize VA’s 

contact centers and digital platforms, and better coordinate outreach to our Veteran customers and to non-profit 

and Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), and the state and local agencies and community and corporate partners 

that also support them. These and other forward-leaning actions earned VA the designation of lead agency partner 

for the Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal in CX from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

Policies, regulations, and governance are essential to establish and sustain CX, but at VA we know that they alone 

do not make exceptional—easy, effective, emotionally resonant, and trustworthy— customer experiences a reality. 

They reinforce what must be accomplished by all VA employees through each and every interaction every day as we 

deliver exceptional care, benefits, and services.

This VA Customer Experience Accomplishments Report highlights just some of the improvements and innovations 

that VA’s employees and community and strategic partners have undertaken to meet our shared CX mission and 

earn the trust of our nation’s number one customers: our Veterans and their families, caregivers, and survivors.

Lynda C. Davis, Ph.D.

Chief, Veterans Experience Officer

Veterans Experience Office

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Barbara C. Morton

Deputy Chief, Veterans Experience Officer

Veterans Experience Office

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 3

MOMENTS THAT MATTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VA’s Customer Experience Framework ........................................................................................................................ 4

Listening to the Voice of the Veteran ........................................................................................................................... 5

Journey Map: Getting Out ................................................................................................................................................... 7

Journey Map: Starting Up .................................................................................................................................................... 8

Journey Map: Taking Care of Myself .......................................................................................................................... 10

Journey Map: Putting Down Roots and Reinventing Myself ................................................................... 15

Journey Map: Retiring, Aging, and Dying .............................................................................................................. 17

Employee Experience ........................................................................................................................................................... 20

Hardwiring and Sustaining Customer Experience at VA ............................................................................. 21

“VA is not only listening to our Veterans but to the voices of their families, 

caregivers, survivors, and our employees” — VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

Reference to any 3rd party or external organization does not constitute an endorsement on behalf of VA.
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 4

VA’S CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK 

VEO’s CX Framework show how we use CX capabilities to collect, capture and analyze data through multiple 

channels to listen to the Voice of the Veteran. Their feedback helps VA understand and prioritize what matters most 

to Veterans so that we can respond with real and relevant services and solutions. It enables VA employees provide 

individual service recovery and promote program improvement. This framework ensures VA that its CX efforts are 

focused on what its customers want and need.

VA’s 

Customer 

Experience 

Framework

The accomplishments in this report will reflect which customers each project reaches and which major 

VA services they deliver.

OUR CUSTOMERS

VETERANS

FAMILIES

CAREGIVERS

SURVIVORS

EMPLOYEES

OUR SERVICE AREAS

HEALTH

BENEFITS

MEMORIAL SERVICES

Look for these icons throughout this report.
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 5

LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF THE VETERAN

LISTENING AND RESPONDING TO THE VOICE OF THE VETERAN

“Listening to our Veterans plays an important role in providing world class customer service. VA is not only listening 

to our Veterans, but we are taking action on their concerns as well as their recommendations to improve VA.” 

—VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

VA is listening to feedback from Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and employees through multiple 

feedback channels. These include calls to the White House VA Hotline and VA411, responses to VSignals surveys, 

in-person interactions, working with patient advocates, and/or participating in Community Veteran Engagement 

Boards (CVEB).

VA has spent the past few years conducting field research that has leveraged these feedback channels to more 

deeply understand what our customers (Veterans, caregivers, survivors, and families) want and need and their 

interactions with VA. VA recognizes the importance of not only asking customers what is most important to 

them during their journey but also translating those insights into actionable service recovery and program 

improvements.

Through this research VA has created 45 “journey maps”that identify a broad set of shared moments that many 

Veterans will encounter and live through including the moments that matter to Veterans. offer clear direction for 

VA program improvements. The journey map below was the first to be created and covers ten life stages that any 

Veteran may encounter, from pre-service to end of life. The map offers valuable information on the moments that 

ENLIST SEPARATE RETIRE

PRE-SERVICE LIFE T R

Finding additional 

sources of income

Taking care 

of my health

Participating in 

meaningful activities

Managing my 

declining health

Maintaining social 

and community 

connections

Planning for 

longer term care

Managing military 

and family 

obligations

Finding 

something 

to do

Doing well 

by my unit

Understanding

future prospects

Preparing for

military service

Fulfilling my

military obligation

Completing my 

paperwork

Understanding

the process of 

separating

Engaging VA to 

access benefits 

and services

Adapting to 

military culture

Embracing 

military culture

Leaving 

home

Being motivated 

by the mission

Balancing 

finances

Re-establishing 

and creating 

relationships

Maintaining 

my health

Managing primary 

care and chronic 

health issues 

Recognizing 

and addressing 

mental health 

needs

Seeking support 

for an acute 

health event

Saving for 

my retirement

Taking care of 

my family

Connecting with and 

serving my community

Starting, growing, or 

maintaining my family

Revisiting housing

Maintaining my financial, 

social, and emotional health

Translating my 

military skills

Building my network

Acquiring the 

appropriate education, 

new skills, and credentials

Building my 

professional reputation

Finding the right job

Attending to 

health needs

Finding a 

place to live

Retiring Aging Dying Getting 

out

Starting 

up Joining Serving

Reinventing

Myself

Putting 

down 

roots

Taking 

care of 

myself

Engaging VA to 

access benefits 

and services

Deciding how and 

where to be memorialized

Scheduling and 

planning a funeral 

service

Adapting my 

support network 

to my new needs

Moment

that matters

Life Stage

Understanding 

future prospects

Preparing for 

military service

Moment

Joining

LEGEND

JOURNEYS OF 

VETERANS MAP

SERVING IN AND SEPARATING FROM THE MILITARY LIVING CIVILIAN LIFE RETIRING AND AGING

The Journeys of Veterans Map can be viewed in full detail at: https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Veteran-Journey-Map.pdf
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 6

matter to Veterans to guide VA’s more than 424,000 employees in their delivery of services and our commitment to 

continuous program improvements.

Since the creation of this first overarching journey map, VA has conducted additional research to create 45 unique 

maps of the experiences of Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. 

This VA Customer Experience Accomplishments Report is organized around projects that were undertaken to 

improve the moments that matter to Veterans. They demonstrate VA’s commitment to listen to the voice of the 

Veteran and to improve customer experiences in the delivery of care, benefits, and services. 

 LISTENING TO ONGOING VETERAN FEEDBACK

“We listen, we prioritize, we respond, and then we listen again,” —Dr. Lynda Davis, Chief, Veterans Experience Office. 

VA’s CX approach multiple channels allows us to collect and analyze feedback from Veterans, Service members, their 

families, caregivers, and survivors – in real time. 

One listening channel is our VSignals surveys. These help to identify and inform opportunities for immediate and 

short-term service recovery and long-term program and systems improvement. VSignals helps measure the Veteran 

customer experience with widely accepted CX metrics including ease, effectiveness, emotional resonance and VAwide and service specific trust. Service-level surveys (e.g., outpatient services, contact centers, appeals), targeted 

community surveys, and social media scraping help create a more complete and useful understanding of the 

Veteran experience. 

VA has deployed 65 unique VSignals across VA benefits and services

33 MILLION 

SURVEYS SENT

5.8 MILLION 

RESPONSES

2.2 MILLION

FREE-TEXT COMMENTS

Data as of October 2020

With these surveys, VA can measure, for the first time, the level of trust its customers have in the organization, in 

real time. In May 2020, Veteran trust in VA health care outpatient services reached 90.1%, the highest level attained 

since being measured.

The VA is also listening to feedback 24/7 from Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors who call the 

White House VA Hotline (1-855-948-2311). Since October 2017, live agents have answered over 463,000 calls with 

compliments, concerns, or recommendations. An integrated Client Relations Management (CRM) system across 

VA allows calls requiring service recovery to be quickly shared with the right program office for assistance. Callers 

in crisis are “warm transferred” immediately to the Veterans Crisis Line or to the National Call Center for Homeless 

Veterans. Nearly all Hotline staff are Veterans or family members of Veterans themselves, and their extensive 

knowledge of VA and their customer service training ensures that the call itself is a positive and helpful experience. 

https://www.va.gov/ve/whvaHotline.asp

VEO created and maintains a robust knowledge management library (KML) tool to provide Hotline, contact center 

and other VA employees with immediate access to accurate, consistent information and resources. Through this 

tool, employees have accessed over 21,000 pieces of knowledge to answer Veterans questions and address their 

concerns more than 7 million times. VA also leverages a robust knowledge management library tool to provide 

employees with accurate, consistent information and resources. Through this tool, employees have accessed over 

21,000 pieces of knowledge more than 7 million times.
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 7

VA WELCOME KIT

GETTING OUT

TASKS

» Understanding the process of separating

» Completing my paperwork

» Engaging VA to access benefits and services

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Separation programs pack in a lot of good 

information but are delivered at a moment when 

many Veterans are not ready or able to absorb it. 

ALLEVIATING CHALLENGES FOR TRANSITIONING 

SERVICE MEMBERS

Alleviated challenges for Service members 

transitioning into civilian life through the VA Solid 

Start (VASS) program designed in partnership with 

the Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans 

Benefits Administration (VBA) that facilitates direct 

Veteran contact at three key intervals during their first 

year of transition. VASS agents connect transitioning 

Service members VA benefits and services including 

priority calling for mental health care, warm transfers 

to the Veterans Crisis Line if needed, information on 

COVID-19, and assistance with employment, financial 

information, and other resources to assist with 

successful transition into civilian life. The improved 

VASS customer relationship management system 

reduced the number of required record reviews from 

hundreds of records to less than five. https://www.

benefits.va.gov/transition/solid-start.asp 

INTRODUCING VA BENEFITS AND SERVICES IN A 

VETERAN-CENTERED WAY

 Improved access for all Veterans to 

VA health care, benefits, and services through 

the VA Welcome Kit that gives customers clear 

and accurate guided journeys to navigate VA’s 

comprehensive offerings. Over 700,000 VA 

Welcome Kits have been downloaded, and over 

260,000 printed and distributed to more than 

250 organizations and individuals including 

Members of Congress, all State Directors of 

Veterans Affairs, and VSOs. https://www.va.gov/VE/

pressreleases/2019100801.asp 

 Designed and launched eleven one-page 

Quick Start Guides (QSGs) that describe in simple 

steps and plain language how to access specific 

VA benefits and services. Current QSGs are: Apply 

for Burial in a VA National Cemetery, Apply for VA 

Survivor Benefits, Get Started With VA Mental Health 

Services, Get Started with Vet Center Services and 

Caregiver Benefits, Get Started with Women Veterans 

Health Services, Understanding VA Community 

Care, Understanding VA Urgent Care, Understanding 

the Modernized Decision Review Process, and VA 

COVID-19 Support. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 8

IMPROVING ACCESS AND ENROLLMENT 

THROUGH ENGAGEMENT

 Launched VA’s first enterprise-wide digital 

outreach product called “#VetResources” to 

Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors 

to ensure regular contact with all known-to-VA 

email addresses. #VetResources is sent weekly to 

11.6M addresses and has been opened more than 

235M times driving 43M clicks to VA and non-VA 

resources including 150,000 clicks to the Veterans 

Crisis Line since 2019. https://www.blogs.va.gov/

VAntage/resources/vetresources/ 

 Engaged over 75,000 combined viewers 

through two virtual Secretary of VA community 

townhalls to hear the Secretary of the VA and other 

experts share information on VA priorities and key 

initiatives and answer questions from the community. 

VA has received over 1,400 comments during these 

largest live townhalls in VA history. 

 Reached more than 2.42M customers through 

participation in virtual Veterans Experience Live

VetXL) events on RallyPoint and Facebook Live. 

Connected Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors 

to VA and non-VA leaders and experts, answered more 

than 9,650 questions, and improved navigation of VA, 

community, and partner services. https://www.va.gov/

outreach-and-events/events/veterans-experiencelive-vetxl-women-veterans-qa-with-acting-deputy/ 

 

 Launched VA’s first outreach calendar 

providing Veterans and their families, caregivers, and 

survivors with a single online location to find events 

from VA and VA partners such as States, community 

organizations, and VSOs. In its pilot, 58 events were 

listed and viewed 415,000 times. https://www.va.gov/

outreach-and-events/events/ 

STARTING UP

TASKS 

» Finding something to do

» Re-establishing and creating relationships

» Balancing finances

» Attending to health needs

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Finding something to do like returning to school, 

going to work, or connecting with the community 

decreases the risk of harmful behaviors likes 

substance abuse.

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Veterans select health care coverage according to 

their individual set of needs and preferences, often 

choosing private health care over VA unless they 

seek care and compensation for a service-related 

disability or have no other option.

PROVIDING A SINGLE SOURCE FOR VA CUSTOMER 

DATA

 Streamlined Veteran interactions with 

all VA benefits and services through the launch of 

“VA Profile” which synchronizes contact information 

for 14.7M Veterans and family members across VA 

systems. Since launching in 2018 as part of VA’s data 

modernization efforts, more than 686,000 Veterans 

and family members have self-updated their contact 

information on VA.gov. Undeliverable mailings have 

decreased by 78%. 

REDUCING CLAIM PROCESSING TIMES

 Reduced claims processing time and time to 

direct deposit through the “Digits-to-Digits” program 

which captures, shares, and updates contact and 

direct deposit information with partnering systems 

so Veteran claims are attributed in real-time and 

directly into their “eFolder” in the Veterans Benefits 

Management System. More than 1.3M claims have 

been submitted successfully since 2015. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 9

VETERANS EXPERIENCE ACTION CENTERS

PROTECTING VETERAN’S PAYMENTS

 Increased enrollment in direct-deposit program, 

which results in reducing fraud and ensuring that 

Veterans receive their VA monetary benefits more 

quickly. The Veterans Benefits Banking Program (VBBP) 

directly deposits Veteran benefits to a bank of choice 

instead of mailing checks which reduces fraud risk 

and helps Veterans get payments faster. Using HCD 

principles, VA improved outreach efforts for VBBP 

which resulted in increased enrollments. https://www.

benefits.va.gov/benefits/banking.asp 

 Reduced benefits fraud cases by 96% in just 3 

months by adding two-factor authentication signon, launching direct deposit/electronic funds transfer 

for compensation and pension benefits, and moving 

direct deposit for compensation and pension from 

eBenefits to VA.gov in January 2020. Reported fraud 

cases decreased from 400-600 per month to less than 

40. 

SUPPORTING APPEALS FOR BENEFITS

 Launched a comprehensive Rapid Appeals 

Management Program (RAMP) communications 

plan that helped increase enrollment in the new 

Veteran-friendly interim appeals process by 10%. 

The plan was developed in partnership with VBA’s 

Office of Administrative Review through an HCD 

project. https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/48141/

vas-rapid-appeals-modernization-program-rampnow-open-appeals/ 

 Launched RAMP QSG that provides clear and 

concise information for the next steps a Veteran or 

other claimant can take when they disagree with the 

decision VA made on their disability compensation 

claim. Appeals Modernization offers Veterans more 

choice, clarity and control over the decision review 

process and helps them seek faster resolution of 

their disagreement. https://www.blogs.va.gov/

VAntage/76497/quick-start-guide-modernizedveteran-appeals-process-now-available/ 

SUPPORTING EBENEFITS USERS

 Provided seamless online interactions for 

more than 8.7M registered eBenefits users in over 180 

countries and more than 11,000 registered users of the 

Stakeholder Enterprise Portal. 

SUPPORTING BENEFITS APPLICANTS

 Provided personalized assistance for more 

than 8,300 Veterans, their families, caregivers, 

and survivors through 16 Veterans Experience 

Action Centers (VEACs) during which customers 

received direct access to experts in VA, community, 

and partner services including claims and appeals. 

Launched virtual-VEACs to serve at-risk and rural 

customers. During the first virtual-VEACs, more 

than 440 Veterans, family members, caregivers, 

and survivors received personalized service and 

answers to their questions. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 10

VA411

 Developed and launched several new 

online features with the redesign of the now-retired 

Vets.gov into VA.gov. New self-service features include 

online prescription requests, appointment scheduling, 

and benefits enrollment. Through September of 

2020 6.6M visitors have completed more than 27.7M 

transactions. 

» Engaged with over 3M users to ensure their access 

to information was uninterrupted when eBenefits 

services were migrated to VA.gov.

» Launched a new Veteran Debt Landing Page 

providing access to debt information for over 2M 

impacted Veterans. 

» Deployed Portal Comment Card to capture realtime Veteran feedback about their experience using 

VA.gov for continuous site improvement. 

 Simplified Veterans’ access to VA 

information with the launch of VA411 (1-

800-698-2411), part of VA’s contact center 

modernization effort. VA411 is a national, toll-free 

number that serves as a “front door” to VA. With 

only one number to remember, Veterans can 

more easily and quickly access information on VA 

benefits and services, connect to contact centers 

across VA, or select live, personalized assistance 24 

hours a day, 365 days a year. Callers choosing live 

agent support are quickly connected to someone 

who can provide personalized assistance. Veterans 

can still reach VA at any other hotline, contact 

center, or direct numbers they have been using, 

but VA411 offers another option as the “number to 

call when you don’t know who to call.” VA411 has 

received more than 1.3M calls including live agent 

support for 255,000 callers. 

TAKING CARE OF MYSELF

TASKS

» Recognizing and addressing mental health 

needs

» Managing primary care and chronic health 

issues

» Seeking support for an acute health event

» Maintaining my health

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

A lack of formal or informal knowledge transfer 

between Veterans experiencing discontinuity 

within VA and between external sources of health 

care.
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 11

VIRTUAL APPOINTMENT CHECK IN

SUPPORTING MISSION ACT

 Streamlined VA Call Centers with easy 

directory assistance and live support for questions 

related to expanded community care services 

association with the MISSION Act. Over 1.1M callers 

accessed MISSION Act self-service information, and 

320,000 callers were served by live agents. 

 Sent 97M emails with critical community 

care access information for Veterans via the 

#VetResources newsletter that were opened 29M 

times by Veterans, their families, caregivers, and 

survivors. 

 Updated more than 9M Veteran records with 

health benefits determinations to ensure their access 

to care in the community.

 Launched guides to assist with navigation of 

expanded Program of Comprehensive Assistance 

for Family Caregiver (PCAFC) Benefits, including a 

Caregiver QSG and a Caregiver Support Guide to help 

caregivers navigate support at VA that may include 

caregiver education and training, mental health 

services, peer support, health care benefits, financial 

assistance, and respite care. https://www.va.gov/

caregiver-quick-start-guide.pdf 

 Incorporated insights from caregiver listening 

sessions to redesign the Caregiver Record 

Management Application (CARMA), allowing 

individuals to apply online for PCAFC benefits 

and decreasing processing time for benefits 

determinations. CARMA automatically calculates 

caregiver stipends, alerts caregivers when annual 

reassessments are required, and creates an electronic 

health record to document a caregiver’s clinical 

interactions. https://www.caregiver.va.gov/ 

RESPONDING TO COVID-19

 Launched virtual appointment check-in tool 

called “I’m Here,” that allows Veterans to check-in 

to their appointments from the parking lot, so they 

do not have to wait inside a VA facility before their 

appointment. 

 Streamlined contact center operations to 

address influx of COVID-19 related inquiries by 

providing callers with general COVID-19 information 

as well as updates on closures and re-openings. Live 

agent COVID-19 support was given to more than 

44,000 callers through the White House VA Hotline 

or VA411. More than 38,000 COVID-19 administrative 

calls were alleviated from the queues of Veterans 

Integrated Service Networks 20 and 22, allowing those 

facilities to focus on clinical calls.
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 12

VA’S COVID-19 RESPONSE

 Launched VA’s first interactive “chatbot” on 

VA.gov to answer COVID-19 questions or route 

customers to the correct resource. The chatbot has 

served over 110,000 customers with an average of 

500 unique visitors daily since April 2020. https://

www.va.gov/coronavirus-chatbot/ 

 Sent 79M emails with critical COVID-19 

information for Veterans, leveraging new 

#VetResources newsletter that was opened 25M times. 

Critical COVID-19 information and updates included 

guidance to stay home and what to do if experiencing 

COVID-19 symptoms. Each #VetResources newsletter 

sent now includes a VA COVID-19 status update. 

 Texted critical COVID-19 information to more 

than 32.2M Veterans, leveraging contact information 

in new VA Profile database. https://www.blogs.va.gov/

VAntage/73455/are-you-getting-va-text-messageshealth-care-updates-reminders/ 

SUPPORTING THE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS 

ROLLOUT

 Improved point of service experiences through 

the launch of Veteran Health Administration 

Profiles (VHAPs) as part of the new Electronic 

Health Records (EHR) system rollout. The VHAP 

simplifies Veterans’ medical benefits information for 

12.2M Veteran records by applying laws, policies, 

and regulations to Veterans’ contact details, service 

connection, disability rating, and other data to ensure 

accurate information on medical coverage and 

copayments. 

 Supported the launch of a new self-scheduling 

tool that integrates VHAP information with new EHR 

scheduling tool allowing Veterans to self-schedule 

and adjust medical appointments. Engaged with 

30,000 Veterans in the Columbus, Ohio, region to raise 

awareness of the self-scheduling pilot. 

 Partnered with DOD to ensure a single, 

comprehensive Veteran health record is available 

to community providers. Using VHAPs and the Joint 

Health Information Exchange, VA validates EHR data 

such as contact information, Veteran health benefits 

status, disability rating with federal partners including 

DOD, Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security 

Administration, simplifying benefits validation for 

Veterans at the point of service with community 

providers and combining VA and DOD information into 

a single Clinical Content Document. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 13

VA PATIENT EXPERIENCE SYMPOSIUM

IMPROVING PATIENT EXPERIENCE (PX)

 Launched the VA PX Symposium to facilitate 

an enterprise-wide foundational understanding 

of PX, promote strategic PX goals, share best 

and promising practices, and feature innovative 

solutions from around VHA. Annual awards were 

established for improvement, innovation, and 

excellence, to solidify and hardwire PX strategies 

into facility planning. 

 Developed and implemented “Own the Moment” 

(OTM) CX training. Over 100,000 employees have 

attended the workshop which that leverages industry 

best practices to standardize CX guiding principles, 

behaviors, and service recovery strategies across the 

enterprise. 

 Designed and implemented leadership rounding 

program called “WECARE” at VHA facilities 

to improve employee engagement and patient 

outcomes through improving leadership engagement. 

 

 Launched VHA-wide PX Community of Practice 

(COP) to share promising practices, provide an 

opportunity to showcase innovations in the field, 

and build PX Champions in VHA facilities across the 

country who are leading improvements to patient 

care. 

 Launched Red Coat Ambassador program 

across all VA health care facilities to deliver a 

compassionate first impression to Veterans, their 

families, and visitors by providing personal navigation 

assistance by a trained volunteer or staff member. This 

contributed to an improvement in positive responses 

to the Ease of Navigation to Appointment question on 

the VSignals Outpatient Health care Visit Survey from 

90% in FY18 to 94% in FY19. 

 Designed and deployed standard phone training 

to help employees provide a consistent greeting and 

other etiquette when engaging with Veterans or other 

customers on the phone. 

 Developed VA PX Week as an annual opportunity 

to recognize health care employees impacting PX. The 

series of weeklong events is designed to reenergize PX 

efforts to foster positive culture change and educate 

employees on PX and socialize new PX initiatives.

 Devised employee “I Choose VA Badges” to orient 

Veterans to their care team and foster meaningful 

introductions, enhancing communications and ease. 

The Veterans Experience Office (VEO) purchased and 

disseminated over 400,000 badges to VHA facilities. 

 

 Created the “10-4” initiative that focuses on 

increasing interaction by encouraging employees to 

make direct eye contact and smile when within 10 

feet of another person, and to offer a friendly greeting 

when within 4 feet of another person. This improves 

employee interaction with customers and each other.

 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 14

GREEN GLOVES INITIATIVE

 Deployed the “Green Gloves” initiative to 

improve cleanliness in hospital environments. 

This facility-based initiative helps employees and 

Veterans feel more comfortable at VA facilities by 

encouraging a clean and safe environment. The 

program ensures VA employees understand that 

regardless of their role, they have an important role 

to play in facility ownership. As a result, the SHEP 

Cleanliness score increased from 69% to 72% from 

FY18 to FY20. 

 Implemented a “Commit to Sit” innovative 

initiative that encourages health care professionals 

to communicate with patients in a way that 

demonstrates compassion, respect, empathy, and 

competence. 

 Implemented hourly nurse rounding as a 

purposeful method for anticipating patient needs, 

addressing concerns, and discovering what is truly 

important to patients. 

 Expanded the My Life, My Story (MLMS) 

initiative nationally. MLMS is an interview between 

VA staff and the Veteran that is produced into a 1,000-

word story of the Veteran’s life that is then placed as a 

note in their clinical record for VA employees to read 

to personalize PX. 

 Developed a “Pre-Visit Checklist” that is provided 

to patients while waiting to see their provider. The 

checklist encourages goal setting and ensures that 

patient questions are addressed. 

 Deployed a new Change in Primary Care 

Provider Letter to reduce confusion and simplify 

the notification to Veterans when they have a new 

provider. This tool has been implemented at 64 VHA 

facilities. 

 Developed the “Take Five” initiative that 

encourages practitioners to take a time out from all 

electronics and focus on listening to the patient for 

at least the first 5 minutes of the appointment or 

consultation. 

IMPROVING TELEHEALTH EXPERIENCE

 Increased use of telehealth services by 1400% 

and implemented the Remote Patient MonitoringHome Telehealth program to improve access to care 

and clinical outcomes for Veterans most at risk. 

 Developed a “Welcome to Telehealth” Kit to 

improve Veteran understanding and utilization of 

telehealth services. Developed in collaboration with 

the VHA Office of Telehealth, the release of the toolkit 

resulted in a 25% increase in patients successfully 

completing their first telehealth appointment. http://

vaww.telehealth.va.gov/welcome/ 

 Improved provider understanding and 

utilization of telehealth modalities. With the 

National Telehealth Quality Team, data collected 

from nearly 4,000 clinical care providers was used 

to improve provider utilization and provide better 

telehealth experiences for patients. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 15

 Created and launched the ATLAS (Accessing 

Telehealth through Local Area Stations) program 

to improve access to VA’s telehealth services as part 

of VA’s “Anywhere to Anywhere” telehealth initiative. 

With public and private organizations such as Veterans 

of Foreign Wars and Walmart, Atlas is enhancing 

underserved Veterans access to health care by 

offering options to receive health care closer to home. 

This reduces long travel times and overcomes poor 

internet connectivity at home. https://connectedcare.

va.gov/partners/atlas 

IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SERVICE 

RECOVERY

 Established a VA-Wide Service Recovery 

Council to set standards and establish priorities 

for service recovery activities to ensure that all VA 

employees use standard methods and procedures 

to resolve Veterans’ concerns. Developed service 

recovery tools for staff, a service recovery feedback 

survey, standard operating procedures for employee 

interactions with Veterans, and a method for 

responding to Veterans comments on social media. 

These efforts help ensure that VA provides an easy, 

efficient, and responsive resolution process. 

 Improved response time and case 

management through the nationwide deployment 

of the Patient Advocate Tracking System Replacement 

(PATS-R) that enables patient advocates, service line 

representatives, facility leadership, and other customer 

experience representatives a single view of patient 

and other customer service issues for tracking and 

resolution. After integrating with PATS-R, the White 

House VA Hotline case resolution time decreased 

significantly. More than 27,000 VA employees who 

have direct responsibilities and impact on service 

recovery and resolution now use PATS-R. https://www.

blogs.va.gov/VAntage/72212/patsr/ 

PUTTING DOWN ROOTS AND REINVENTING MYSELF

TASKS

» Starting, growing, or maintaining my family

» Revisiting housing

» Maintaining my financial, social, and emotional 

health

» Connecting with and serving my community

» Taking care of my family

» Saving for my retirement

» Engaging VA to access benefits and services

» Building my network

» Translating my military skills

» Acquiring the appropriate education, new skills, 

and credentials

» Finding the right job

» Building my professional reputation

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Through bonding over shared experiences on 

social media, and in-person events, and via support 

networks, Veterans create a sense of community.

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Veterans expect to be able to translate their skills 

and leadership abilities easily from the military to a 

civilian career and rely on resources to identify and 

fill gaps in their skill sets.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO BENEFITS AND 

INFORMATION

 Improved the Board of Veterans’ Appeals 

Hearing Process by making more information 

available online, re-writing decision letters in plain 

language, and offering virtual appeals hearings. The 

Board held more than 75 training or informational 

events with Veteran Service Organizations to improve 

awareness and understanding of changes in the 

appeals process. As a result, over the past 3 years, the 

Board has reduced legacy appeals by over 300,000 

cases. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 16

COMMUNITY VETERANS ENGAGEMENT BOARDS (CVEBs)

 Reduced 11 regional VA-loan information phone 

numbers into a single toll-free number (1-877-

827-3702) as part of the enterprise-wide Contact 

Center Modernization effort. This reduces confusion 

and ensures that Veterans have easy access to loan 

information. Data on Loan Guaranty call volume 

and resolution is now available for continuous 

improvement. 

 Established the first ever Federal Advisory 

Committee (FAC) dedicated to listening to 

recommendations about family, caregiver, and 

survivor services at VA. This Veterans’ Family, 

Caregiver and Survivor FAC receives public comments 

on the operations of care, benefits, and memorial 

services to make recommendations which have been 

accepted by the Secretary of the VA. 

 Partnered with the Elizabeth Dole 

Foundation to co-host an annual Caregiver 

Convening for at least the next five years to bring 

together nationally recognized thought leaders, 

Veterans, and caregivers to explore issues specific 

to military caregivers. The convening provides the 

opportunity for collaboration with VA partners to 

maximize the impact of caregiver benefits. In its first 

year, the convening focused on caregiving during the 

time of COVID and the expansion of PCAFC benefits. 

 

 Offered more than 7,500 LinkedIn premium 

subscriptions to caregivers and survivors, building 

upon LinkedIn’s program that provides 12 months 

of free premium services for all Veterans. This service 

can improve access to economic opportunities by 

expanding professional networks and providing 

access to job searching capabilities and short 

professional development courses. 

EXPANDING ACCESS TO SERVICES

 Validated status for over 4.1M Veterans 

and caregivers, ensuring their access to DOD 

commissaries, recreational facilities, and bases as part 

of DOD’s largest expansion of Morale, Welfare, and 

Recreation programs in over 65 years. 

EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES TO SERVE AND 

SUPPORT VETERANS

 Engaged Veterans and community 

leaders through 163 Community Veterans 

Engagement Boards (CVEBs) to increase 

the delivery and maximize the impact of VA, 

community, and partner resources. VA’s CVEBS 

represent more than 50M Veterans, their families, 

caregivers, and survivors, and have engaged 

more than 500 Veteran community leaders and 

300 partner organizations including the DOD’s 

Building Healthy Military Communities program. 

Through training and networking events, VA shares 

critical information about health care, benefits, and 

services including whole health, mental health, 

caregiver support, community care, and telehealth. 

 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 17

 Worked directly with Mayors’ and Governors’ 

Challenge action teams to integrate suicide 

prevention plans. Shared best practices in 

community engagement and toolkits, led Technical 

Assistance Workshops for community leaders, and 

supported enhancements to suicide prevention plans. 

 

 Sponsored the Greater Los Angeles 

(GLA) Campus Veterans and Community 

Oversight and Engagement Board (VCOEB) 

Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) to meet 

congressional requirements to collect input from 

stakeholders to determine the best use of the 

GLA campus in a Veteran-centric manner such 

that Veterans living on or visiting the campus 

will be able to experience superior care, support, 

convenience, and exceptional customer service. 

Recommendations by the FAC were accepted by 

the Secretary. Increased communications and 

collaboration throughout the entire GLA network 

to improve the lives of homeless Veterans in the 

area. 

RETIRING, AGING, AND DYING

TASKS

» Finding additional sources of income

» Taking care of my health

» Participating in meaningful activities

» Managing my declining health

» Planning for longer term care

» Adapting my support network to my new needs

» Maintaining social and community connections

» Deciding how and where to be memorialized

» Scheduling and planning a funeral service

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Veterans seek supplemental coverage to fill health 

care coverage gaps caused by insurance changes 

during retirement. Some Veterans reengage or 

engage with VA for the first time at this moment.

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Veterans increasingly seek alternatives to 

institutional-based care and instead wish to stay 

independent for longer, remaining in their homes 

and communities.

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Sustaining a sense of community and social 

connection is critical to Veterans’ well-being as they 

age.

MOMENT THAT MATTERS

Often the first time a Veteran’s family interacts 

directly with VA is during the highly emotional time 

of a Veteran’s death.

VETERANS’ FAMILY, CAREGIVER, AND SURVIVOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 18

CHOOSE HOME INITIATIVE

EMPOWERING VETERANS’ CHOICE OF CARE

 Piloted the “Choose Home” Initiative to 

understand the journey of Veterans, their families, 

caregivers, and VA employees caring for Veterans 

who are at-risk for nursing home placement and to 

coordinate and improve access to services to help 

them stay at home as long as possible. Engaged 

caregiver- and Veteran-friendly communities to: 

develop a more efficient and effective care process 

for receiving Choose Home services; strengthen 

community collaboration and improve navigation; 

and establish a VA Choose Home Center of 

Excellence to sustain initiatives for those at risk for 

institutionalization. Piloted best practices at VA 

Medical Centers in 6 states to integrate clinical and 

non-clinical care services and benefits into a single, 

comprehensive, and coordinated plan. 

 Created the Elizabeth Dole Center of 

Excellence for Veteran and Caregiver Research

to better understand the experience of caregivers 

and expand the capacity of VA to deliver integrated, 

Veteran- and caregiver-partnered, data-driven 

approaches to care. The Center provides a model for 

excellence in peer-reviewed research on innovation, 

training, implementation, evaluation, adoption, and 

dissemination of best practices in supporting the 

caregivers of Veterans across VA and private and 

non-profit sectors to care. https://www.hsrd.research.

va.gov/centers/dole/default.cfm 

ENSURING ACCESS TO AVAILABLE BENEFITS

 Published a Survivor’s QSG in partnership with 

the Office of Survivor Assistance that helps families 

identify VA Survivor benefits and services for which 

they may be eligible and provides a step-by-step 

checklist for preparing, applying for, and following 

up on available benefits. Each step spells out in plain 

language what to do, what forms to fill out, and who 

to call for assistance. https://www.blogs.va.gov/

VAntage/63171/va-releases-survivors-quick-startguide/

 Validated and distributed Veteran ID Cards 

(VIC). Over 270,000 Veterans requested and received a 

VIC giving them access to discounted goods, services, 

and resources at participating retailers, enabling them 

to stretch their income purchasing power. https://

www.va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/vic/ 

 Coordinated a donation to provide disposable 

video-capable phones to Veterans experiencing 

homelessness. A $600,000 donation from Amazon 

Prime enabled VA staff to conduct telehealth 

appointments, ensure follow up care and reach out 

regarding housing services. 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 19

FACEBOOK PORTALS 

 Partnered to distribute over 7,400 Portal 

devices to Veterans and caregivers. With 

Facebook and the American Red Cross Military 

Veterans Caregiver Network, provided Portal video 

calling devices that help Veterans connect with 

their caregivers, families, and friends to improve 

communication and reduce isolation. https://www.

blogs.va.gov/VAntage/73756/eligible-veteranscan-get-free-portal/ 

 Trained over 400 Community Clergy to 

better engage with Veterans with mental health 

challenges, particularly those who are homebound. 

Developed in partnership with the VA Chaplain Service 

and VHA Office of Rural Health, the training program 

helps community clergy recognize unique Veteran 

mental health challenges and understand avenues 

to connect to VA, partner, and community resources.

https://www.ruralhealth.va.gov/providers/promising_

practices.asp 

HONORING VETERANS’S LEGACIES

 Built upon the National Cemetery 

Administration (NCA)’s award-winning customer 

service with the Veterans Legacy Memorial Project. 

As the nation’s first digital platform dedicated to 

memorializing more than 3.7 million Veterans interred 

in VA’s national cemeteries, the project honors 

Veterans service and sacrifice by allowing family and 

friends to honor their Veteran’s service and sacrifice by 

creating a page to post tributes, upload photos, and 

share personal stories. Veteran pages can be shared 

via social media. More than 6,500 Veterans have had 

their memories shared by family and friends. https://

www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ 
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 20

EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE (EX)

LISTENING AND RESPONDING TO THE VOICE OF THE EMPLOYEE

VA Secretary Wilke’s commitment to exceptional CX extends not only to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and 

survivors, but also to VA’s over 424,000 employees. The VA endeavors to provide exceptional experience to our 

employees to help them fulfill their professional goals and their personal interest to serve our Nation’s Veterans 

and their loved ones. To do this, VA has not only listened to the voice of the Veteran, but also to the voice of the 

employee. Using the same Human Centered Design (HCD) processes that guide Veteran customer research, VA 

researched and developed the first EX Journey Map out of a partnership between VEO and the Office of Human 

Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness. This journey map identifies key Moments 

that Matter to VA employees along their VA employment journey. 

This journey map is one of many tools that will help VA meet CX/EX goals by helping us understand what matters 

most to employees. By knowing what moments matter most, VA can reduce barriers for employees to access the 

data, tools, technology, and engagement that will help them to meet their responsibilities, support their drive to 

innovate, and improve their overall experience as well as that of their Veteran customers.

Another tool that VA offers employees to meet their responsibilities our CX training, called “Own the 

Moment (OTM).” OTM has improved Veteran experience and trust by teaching guiding principles that assist all 

staff in connecting with Veterans and understanding and responding to their needs. Over 100,000 VA employees 

have completed this training, and they and Veterans are acknowledging its benefits. For example, VHA Trust scores 

increased from 85.2% to 89.6% between FY17 and FY20, demonstrating that OTM is helping reinforce a principlesbased culture to ensure ease, effectiveness, and emotional resonance in Veteran experiences. 

Progress in recent employee surveys independently confirm the benefits of a CX focused culture. In 2018 and 2019, VA 

was ranked 6th out of the largest federal agencies in the “Best Places to Work” survey, an 11-place increase from 2017. 

Finding out 

about jobs 

at VA

Finding jobs 

that match my 

goals, interests, 

and skills

Browsing 

available jobs

Hearing back 

about my 

application

Mentally 

preparing for 

my interview

Complying with 

background 

check and other 

requirements

Preparing 

my resume

Submitting 

my application 

and waiting to 

hear back

Filling out 

my application

Attending 

my interview

Wanting to 

see the work 

environment

Deciding to 

accept or 

decline offer

Considering 

the offer

Selecting 

my benefits

Learning about 

the agency and 

the work I’ll 

be doing

Meeting 

other new 

employees

Waiting to 

hear back

Receiving 

kudos from 

others

Seeing 

my part in 

fulfilling 

VA’s mission

Examining 

my priorities

Taking the 

skills and 

values I’ve 

acquired 

with me

Identifying ways 

to continue 

engaging with 

the agency

Considering 

relationships 

with prior 

colleagues

Receiving 

formal feedback 

from my 

supervisor

Working 

toward my 

performance 

goals

Wanting new 

opportunities to 

learn and grow

Learning about 

opportunities 

that meet my 

goals and needs

Moving between 

my former and 

new roles

Redefining 

relationships 

with my former 

colleagues

Learning 

about my new 

responsibilities

Setting my 

career goals

Seeking guidance 

from others

Considering 

what is next

Understanding 

my role

Easing into 

federal service

Searching Applying Interviewing

Receiving & 

considering 

my offer

Hearing 

about 

next steps

Accepting

my offer

Attending 

orientation

Getting my 

necessary 

equipment

Familiarizing 

myself with 

the agency’s 

resources

Coordinating 

with HR

Getting set up

Meeting my 

colleagues

Navigating 

the need for 

a mentor

Meeting my 

supervisor

Making 

connections

Starting 

my work

Staying 

connected

Developing 

my career

Navigating 

the chain 

of command 

in doing my 

daily job

Seeing shifts 

in my workload 

based on staffing

Navigating my 

work schedule 

in relation to 

my professional 

and personal 

duties

Navigating the 

emotional parts 

of my job

Finding the 

best way to 

get things done

Learning 

by doing

Doing my job Seeing 

my value

Receiving 

feedback 

on my work

Communicating 

with my team

Engaging with 

other teams

Aligning on 

team values 

and norms

Connecting with 

my colleagues on 

a personal level

Understanding 

my role in relation 

to my team and 

the agency Finding out about 

trainings offered 

by the agency

Coordinating 

with my 

supervisor 

for time to 

do training

Creating a plan 

for growing 

my skills

Applying for 

trainings

Learning skills 

from others

Seeking skillbuilding outside 

of the agency

Attending 

trainings and 

conferences

Considering 

a new role

Moving to 

my new role

Staying in my 

current role

Seeking support 

from my current 

supervisor

Navigating the 

hiring evaluation 

process

Filling out 

my application

Preparing for 

and attending my 

panel interview

Waiting to hear 

back about my 

application and 

interview

Applying & 

interviewing

for a new role

Adapting and

readapting to 

the culture

Working in a 

mission-driven 

organization

Speaking up

Navigating 

the culture

Expressing to 

my supervisor 

and colleagues 

that I will 

be leaving

Coordinating 

my benefits

Getting 

signatures 

on paperwork 

and returning 

equipment

Saying goodbye

Leaving 

the agency

Collaborating

with others

Maintaining 

Learning 

new skills

Browsing 

available jobs

LEGEND

Finding out 

about jobs 

at VA

Searching

Moment

Moment that 

Matters

Career 

Stage

CONSIDERING AND GETTING IN STARTING UP PERFORMING, GROWING, AND ADAPTING CHANGING ROLES MOVING ON

JOURNEYS OF VA 

EMPLOYEES MAP
CX ACCOMPLISHMENTS VETERANS EXPERIENCE OFFICE 21

HARDWIRING AND SUSTAINING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT VA

 “VA “The Veterans Experience Office (VEO) is my lead organization for achieving our 

customer service priority and provides the department a core customer experience 

capability. VEO offers four core customer experience capabilities, including real-time 

customer experience data, tangible customer experience tools, modern technology, 

and targeted engagement.” —VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

VA is hardwiring customer experience (CX) to ensure Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, and employees 

are reliably provided with the best CX wherever they are in their lifecycle journey. VA – through the shared, best 

practices capabilities of the Secretary’s Veterans Experience Office (VEO) – has developed and deployed data, tools, 

technology, and engagement to listen, learn, and lean in with corrective action and to reach out with connective 

information to improve the moments that matter across these journeys.

Sustaining the CX mission means hardwiring policy, programs, and practices. So far, VA has:

» Created VA’s first customer service policy.

» Codified CX principles in the Code of Federal Regulations.

» Developed and published a VA-wide CX directive.

» Incorporated CX and PX behaviors into annual training on VA’s ICARE values.

» Developed and trained over 100,000 VA employees in the first phase of VA’s “Own the Moment” CX training.

» Established customer-focused enterprise-wide governance boards, including the Service Recovery Council, 

Contact Center Modernization effort, and the VA Outreach Working group to coordinate process improvements.

» Initiated the Customer Experience Institute (CXi) to build CX capacity at VA and across government.

These will help sustain VA’s commitment to its CX mission and enable our employees to deliver the highest quality 

care, benefits, and services. By hardwiring CX into everything that we do, VA is ensuring that our mission is clear, 

and our employees are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to meet the needs of our Veterans, their 

families, caregivers, and survivors every day.

 “VA will continue to work with and for our Veterans and their families, caregivers, survivors, and our employees 

to ensure their voices are heard, their needs understood, and their requests are addressed in our continued 

commitment to ensure their best customer experience.” —Dr. Lynda C. Davis, Chief Veterans Experience Officer, VEO

For more information about any of the accomplishments in this report, please e-mail 

Vets-Experience@va.gov.
“Our first priority is customer service. That’s the prime directive.” 

-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

Visit our Website

VA.gov

Don’t know what number to call? 

1-800-MyVA411 (800-698-2411)

White House VA Hotline 

1-855-948-2311

Veterans Crisis Line 

1-800-273-8255 and press 1, Chat, or Text 838255.

Download the VA Welcome Kit 

https://www.va.gov/welcome-kit/

VA events calendar

https://www.va.gov/outreach-and-events/events/

Sign up for #VetResources weekly e-mails 

https://www.va.gov/vetresources/