Dept of VA: Trauma Informed Claims Process

Project Type: Service Design, Qualitative Research

Artifacts/Deliverable types: Insight Report, Journey Map, Handoff template

Timeframe: November 2022 – April 2023

Veteran Experience Office (VEO) Teams: Customer Experience Strategists (myself and 4 other Strategists)

My Role: Project Co-Lead (later Lead as went on family leave), Service Designer, Researcher, Trauma-informed research Advisor

- Being aware of sensitive content, I have reduced the quality of the graphics.-

VEO Goals for this project:

• The Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) wanted to understand the experiences Veterans have when filing an MST-related compensation claim

• Conduct qualitative research with program staff and Veterans

• Share insights and recommendations for improved customer experience

• Leverage a trauma-informed approach to the research

Overview

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) supports and provides services to Veterans who experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST) during their military service. VA is committed to understanding the experiences Veterans have when filing an MST-related compensation claim, as how the process is handled may directly impact the perceptions of how the VA treats Veterans filing MST claims and the trust in VA as a source of help. The process also impacts Veterans’ ability to receive the benefits and services they need and deserve. The VA is currently engaging in a range of efforts to improve the effectiveness and sensitivity of the MST-related compensation claims process.

Our Approach

We followed the six guiding principles from SAMHSA and used a trauma-informed approach throughout this project, including:

• Outreach to participants Intentional, multistep, targeted outreach by email, phone, and text; scheduling interviews over the phone

• Interviewers and preferences All interviews conducted by trauma-informed, trained designers; accommodated Veterans’ preferred technology (phone or video) and gender of interviewers

• How we conducted the interviews Intentional focus on the claims process, not the MST event

• Safety plans and protocols Connected to Veteran Crisis Line, local resources, and prior clinical training from interviewers in mental health settings

• Development of opportunities for improving the MST-related claims process

 Below are the ways I supported the MST project:

Co-Lead/ later Lead

• Stakeholder mangement and briefing

• Timeline management

Research and Service Design

• Took training on trauma informed research practices

• Co-developed trauma-informed interview recruitment plan and interview guide

• Created a warm Handoff document with identified VA staff and the Crisis Line that could support interviewees if needed during or after research interview

• Led the landscape research on related projects to understand insights and potential overlaps

• HCD subject matter expert/ Advisor in Correspondence workgroup created after this research

Outcomes:

• Our trauma informed approach supported better interview show rates - A typical no-show rate once an interview is scheduled is between 30-50%. We had 0% with this project.

• Opportunities for action identified and briefed to main stakeholders as well as relevant stakeholders across VA

• VBA Correspondence workgroup created to update with a trauma informed lens

• HCD best practices for the team updated to include trauma-informed approach to recruitment, interviews, and design opportunities and handoff document template for Veteran interviewee support to connect to relevant services if needed during research