VA Embeds Experts Across Department to Scale AI Projects

As the Department of Veterans Affairs expands its use of AI across benefits, health care and administrative operations, a specialized office is embedding experts across the department to solve implementation challenges and accelerate adoption.

The VA launched the Office of Strategic Initiatives in 2025 to tackle technology challenges with a team trained in industry best practices who work closely with vendors, the office’s Deputy Director Richelle Gibson said last week at IBM’s Think Gov event in Washington, D.C.

Gibson explained that an executive group dedicated to implementation oversees AI deployment projects specifically. She noted this was more effective than deploying AI systems across different VA business lines.

“We deploy teams of experienced [program managers] and change managers who focus on nothing but that effort,” she said. “We’re a massive organization. Find the one that’s got a problem statement, attach a team and then hyper-focus with deputy secretary and secretary-level support and push it through there.”

That focused approach is particularly important as the VA pilots hundreds of AI initiatives across the department while addressing data issues, governance and quality, Gibson said.

In addition to developing AI policy and strategy, the VA is working to improve workforce AI literacy and expand automation efforts across the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration and National Cemetery Administration. Gibson said the department is examining workflows to identify repetitive tasks that can be automated and opportunities to deliver compensation, healthcare and other benefits to veterans and survivors more quickly and efficiently.

Business Process Before Tech Implementation

Details count in technology and AI deployments.

“My experience with business process and policy is you can bring in the right technology, the right people, even the right executive sponsorship, but if you don’t know the environment — which in government is very much policy and process driven — you may not be successful,” Gibson said.

That philosophy shapes the office’s approach to solving technology challenges. Gibson said every AI project begins with examining the underlying business process. In many cases, the process requires more reengineering than the technology itself to ensure the two work together effectively.

AI-Powered Automation Efforts Underway

One example of the VA’s AI adoption efforts is automating claims processing. Instead of taking months, claims data can be extracted in days using AI tools, and decisions on simple cases can be made within hours.

“That’s a massively different experience for veterans,” Gibson said.

Another AI-enabled improvement involves VBA pension benefits for veterans and survivors. Gibson said the claims cycle has been reduced by 100 days, allowing pension benefits to be processed within 60 days.

The VA is also deploying Ambient Scribe, an AI-powered clinical note-taking system. The tool records clinician-patient conversations and converts them into clinical notes, allowing providers to spend more time focused on patient care. Gibson said the technology saves clinicians an average of eight hours per week that can be devoted to other tasks.