US Department of Veterans Affairs Partners with Google Cloud to Improve Veteran Access to Benefits and Services

Google Cloud announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is partnering with Google Cloud to help developers implement new tools and applications that will improve Veteran access to VA services and data.

Serving more than 19 million Veterans and their families, the VA is the largest healthcare provider in the United States and manages a network of 170 medical centers and 1,000 outpatient sites. In addition to healthcare, the VA administers key Veteran services ranging from education opportunities and unemployment assistance to housing aid, pension benefits and more. Ensuring Veterans can access these services easily is a top priority for the VA.

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Through a $13 million, multi-year contract, the VA will deploy Apigee, Google Cloud’s application programming interface (API) management platform. The implementation is part of the continued evolution of the VA’s Lighthouse API program, providing developers with seamless and secure access to VA APIs in the development of new tools and services. For example, with Apigee, developers can use the VA’s Benefits API to create applications that help Veterans submit and track electronic benefits claims and add supplemental documentation. Developers can also easily access the VA’s Health APIs to build new online tools that help Veterans manage their health and access their medical records.

“Google Cloud’s Apigee will help the VA to continue scaling the VA Lighthouse API program for third-party developers in a cost-efficient manner, offering Veterans more choice in the applications and tools they use to obtain access to their data and services,” said Dave Mazik, Director, VA Lighthouse. “This partnership is a logical next step to better connect Veterans with VA services, innovate with trusted third parties and continue to offer a high-quality, digital-first customer experience to which they’re accustomed to in other areas of their lives.”

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APIs are how software talks to software and how developers leverage data and functionality at scale in a secure fashion. They are products that need to be actively managed so that organizations and developers can execute business strategies and achieve innovation at scale.

“We’re honored to support the VA and our nation’s Veterans,” said Mike Daniels, VP of Global Public Sector, Google Cloud. “By making it easier for developers and partners to build new applications through Apigee, the VA is spurring innovations that will ultimately enable Veterans and their families to more easily access important benefits and services.”

The VA’s Apigee deployment—built on Apigee’s FedRAMP-authorized platform—will support the department’s existing efforts to safeguard Veteran data, in compliance with standards such as HIPAA regulations and the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard for exchanging healthcare information electronically.

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