Aquilent’s innovative solution allows veterans to easily submit enrollment applications online, providing a variety of benefits that include improved accuracy, reduced submission time, and improved turnaround time.

• the objective_

• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needed an easier, more accurate, and more convenient way for veterans to enroll for health caxre benefits, in response to a recommendation by the Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror Heroes, which cited the need for a “self-service” application for those veterans returning home from war.

  Previously, veterans had two options for submitting a benefits application. The first was a hard-copy form mailed to the Health Eligibility Center (HEC) or submitted to a VA medical center; the enrollment specialists then input the data. If there were questions, the HEC or medical center asked the veteran to supply additional information. The second option was the current online 1010EZ form, which provided minimal to no validation and was rarely used since the format was hard to navigate and the veteran still had to receive a copy of the enrollment form for signature.

• the solution_

• Aquilent developed the Veterans Online Application (VOA), which uses a guided interview approach to simplify the enrollment process. The veteran is asked a series of questions, and the interview’s built-in rules adjust the questions based on previous answers. This reduces the amount of information the veteran needs to decipher and the time needed to complete the form. The system improves accuracy by validating data on each page prior to submission to the Enrollment System Redesign, which then automates the eligibility and enrollment process.

  VOA can also be exposed as a portlet and consumed by multiple portals at VA to provide access to the application using nearly any website. VOA is a Java/J2EE solution that uses BEA WebLogic and open-source frameworks such as Spring and Hibernate. Initially, VOA is accessible from the MyHealtheVet portal, and will be expanded to other VA portals in the future.

  In addition to MyHealtheVet, VOA integrates with the Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) to provide data for eligibility and enrollment determination. Transmission of Health Level 7 data through the Java Messaging Service queues provides compliance with VA’s HealtheVet Architecture.

  Aquilent’s role in the VOA project includes:

  • Project management
  • Requirements analysis
  • User-centered design and usability testing
  • Application architecture, design, and development
  • System and integration testing
  • Configuration management and build support

• the payoff_

• The Veterans Online Application allows veterans to enroll in health care benefits through an easy, entirely electronic submission process that validates their information and results in reduced submission time and improved turnaround time, cutting overall processing time from months to a few days.

  VOA is an enterprise-wide web application built with Aquilent’s User-Centered design approach, demonstrating our philosophy of developing solutions with the end user’s needs in mind. VOA is being developed using a combination of COTS, open-source, and custom software, demonstrating Aquilent’s expertise with COTS integration and the cost-effective use of open-source frameworks and tools.

  Read more about Aquilent’s Enterprise Portals and Web Applications Solution.

  Download the PDF

•