VA Secures TMF Funding to Streamline Veterans’ Access to Services Online

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been awarded $10.5 million under the Technology Modernization Fund to finance improvements to digital experiences for veterans.

VA seeks to transition to Login .gov, a single sign-on solution that lets users access multiple agency websites using the same credentials.

The General Services Administration, the agency that developed and operates Login .gov, said that the TMF funding will improve the sign-in process for users of VA .gov and MyHealth .VA .gov, FedScoop reported.

VA also plans to implement more identity verification options for veterans as well as launch a multi-factor authentication method that uses physical security keys.

In a press release, GSA said that the funding will help VA address the directives of President Joe Biden’s customer experience executive order, which includes provisions aimed at improving veterans’ access to health care and other services.

GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said that the investments will make it easier for veterans to access the services that they deserve.

“Our nation has a sacred obligation to care for our Veterans and their families, and this investment will help the VA deliver on that commitment,” Carnahan added.

Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana, the head of the TMF Board, said that having multiple usernames and passwords for government services has led to a “frustrating and fractured experience” for citizens.

Martorana, a 2022 Wash100 winner, previously said that the TMF program has limited funding and can only afford to invest in agency modernization projects with a good chance of success.

Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget proposal includes an additional $300 million in funding for TMF. The program has so far received about $1.2 billion in federal investments, including an initial $175 million from the annual budget process, $25 million in fiscal 2021 funding and $1 billion through the American Rescue Act.