Kurt DelBene, assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the VA’s Office of Information and Technology is planning to hire artificial intelligence experts to enhance the delivery of healthcare and benefits to veterans online, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
“Especially with the PACT Act, adding new people who can get health care and benefits from us, it really puts a higher premium around being able to do things like automation,” DelBene said.
DelBene has called on Congress to pass a comprehensive funding bill for fiscal year 2024, noting that the VA OIT’s hiring effort would become a challenge under the continuing resolution passed Thursday to avoid a government shutdown.
“Obviously, the applied-for budget in 2024 is larger than our existing budget, and that’s what’s necessary to add more headcount,” DelBene said.
VA seeks to use AI tools to expedite healthcare enrollment for veterans by removing repetitive questions during the sign-up process.
“When we know who the person is applying for health care, we’re able to cut down the length of time that form takes, by avoiding asking questions that we might already know the answer to,” said Charles Worthington, chief technology officer at VA.
The department also launched a tech sprint to develop AI-powered speech-to-text tools and document processing platforms to enhance patient care and experience.