2023 VA State of Innovation Report

For decades, innovation has supported VA’s mission to deliver exceptional health care to Veterans. Early inventions like the cardiac pacemaker and recent innovations like the radiotherapy bolus that helps protect cancer patients’ healthy tissue during treatment and every creative solution in between serve as a testament to VA’s dedication to delivering high-quality health care.

Introducing the State of Innovation Report

Since 2019, VA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning (OHIL) has published an annual report—the State of Innovation (SOI) Report—that highlights how notable VA innovations are advancing care for Veterans.

The 2023 SOI Report is now here, and with a clear focus, it’s delivering on VA’s mission of serving those who have served. With the theme of “Delivering on the Mission: Fostering Trust and Transforming Care,” the 2023 SOI Report focuses on educating and empowering Veterans to engage with the innovative projects and programs that are most relevant to their health care journeys.

A glimpse Into the 2023 State of Innovation Report

This year’s report features projects organized into four categories: Expanding Access to Care, Transforming Care Delivery, Improving Experiences and Fostering Health and Wellness.

Each section calls attention to the innovative programs and products that support the advancement of Veteran care, such as Compassionate Contact Corps and VHA Office of Advanced Manufacturing’s Radiotherapy Bolus device. While some programs and products are in early stages of development, many are available to Veterans now at VA facilities across the United States.

VA providers work tirelessly to give Veterans the care they deserve, and the providers behind the innovations in the report are no exception. These products and programs are the result of providers being keenly in tune with the needs of their Veteran patients and devising solutions to fill gaps in care.

Debra Cole, a VA radiology technologist in Richmond, VA, has served Veterans for 43 years. She developed the Atlas Knee Supporter to help reduce Veterans’ pain when receiving specialized knee injections.

Evan Davis, a Marine Corps Veteran and VA recreational therapist in Indianapolis, is dedicated to helping his fellow Veterans with chronic pain and PTSD through virtual and augmented reality programs using VA Immersive.

Melissa Tran, a VA marriage and family therapist in Orlando, saw an opportunity to bring maternal and reproductive support services in-house to VA facilities through her PREPARe program, and she helped host VA’s first ever Maternal Health Summit this past July.

What Veterans can expect

Each article in the report informs Veterans about the need each innovation was designed to meet, how it was developed, how it has impacted other Veterans and to whom they should reach out if they want to learn more.

To help Veterans further connect to these innovations, the report’s index lists the highlighted programs and demonstrates each program’s scale, including the exact VA facilities where each may be available and where to find more information online. Nearly every existing VA facility supports these programs in some way. The goal of the index—and the entire SOI Report—is to inform Veterans and give those who are eligible a clear path to taking advantage of the services featured in the report.

You can read the full 2023 SOI Report on innovation.va.gov to learn more about VA innovations and the VA providers who brought them to life. Eligible Veterans are encouraged to connect with the innovations that are relevant to their health care journeys where possible.

Want to learn more about innovation at VA? Visit our websites, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, and visit VA Pathfinder to learn more about our opportunities.