Decrease the amount of time it takes applicants to their Certificate of (Loan) Eligibility. The online 26-1880 form is a versions behind its paper counterpart, and it's missing some fields needed for efficient and effective processing. The payload produced by the online form was also migrated from the depreciated CMS endpiont to a new RES endpoint (see ticket). With this migration, the payload file was updated to include existing and new fields.
Related/Associated product(s)
- 26-1880 | Product Outline
- 26-1880 | Landing Page
Fields needed to effectively process COE requests are missing from the online form flow, which can cause delays in claim processing, places undo burden on applicants, and ultimately delays the receipt of the certificate. By updating the online form to align with the most recent paper version, Veterans will experience fewer delays and the COE program will function more efficiently. The current online form also contains outdated form components and accessibility issues, so all form components will be updated to v3 design system patterns.
- Online 26-1880 claims are as complete as possible and require little to no development
- Applicants receive certificate faster
- The updated online form is easier to use
- The updated online form is quicker to use
- Online application are missing information required for efficient processing
- Users find the updated online form hard to use
- Online 26-1880 applications require less resources to process than they currently do
- Online 26-1880 applications are easier to process than paper applications
- Online 26-1880 applications require the same or more resources to process than they currently do
- Online 26-1880 applications are harder to process than paper applications
- What data (qual or quant) will you look at to understand if your initial set of functionality is meeting your desired user and business outcomes, and not bringing about the undesired outcomes?
- What are the most important metrics that track with this product/initiative's success?
- Include links to Domo or Google Analytics Dashboards/Reports
- Limit 5-6 KPIs per product_
| KPI | Category | Baseline | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of conversions from submission to approval | Service Completion | 100% | 20% |
| Average time to approval | Processing | ||
| Number of Contact Center calls | Trust/Satisfaction | ||
| Number of data errors | Reliability | ||
| % of submission failures | Form Health | ? | <1% |
What are the measurable targets you're aiming for that delivers value for Veterans?
- Objective: Reduce the amount of time applicants are waiting for benefits.
- Key result: % of online claims requiring development
- Key result: Average days from online claim submission to receipt of COE
Identify risks related to usability, value to users, feasibility/implementation, and viability given organizational constraints2. Indicate how you'll validate/test against these risks. Inspired by SVPG's Four Big Risks.
- Value Risks (will people use it):
- Updates to the online form may not increase usage if eligible individuals are not aware of their eligibility for benefits
- Usability Risks (can people figure out how to use it):
- No usability testing before form updates may mean that existing issues remain after updates. (Usability testing will be completed post-launch.)
- [Technical] Feasibility Risks (can we build it with available tech/data):
- Mitigating and potentially restoring claims that silently failed (discovered in December 2024) may divert development resources away from this iniative and delay release.
- Organizational Viability Risks/Constraints (will there be a positive organizational impact):
- Adding the missing fields that are required by the COE program may not reduce processing time as much as anticipated if other data processing issues exist (questions are confusing, form still does not collect correcct data, etc.)
- Additional feedback and/or changes from VBA SMEs shortly before launch could impact release timelines
- Adding required missing form fields to the online form
- Removing depreciated form fields from online form
- Address critical (level 0 and 1) accessibility issues within pages receiving updates
- Updating all design system patterns from v1 to v3
- Ensuring an online claim can be traced end-to-end and successfully makes it to all downstream systems
- We are not:
- Conducting usability studies before making these updates
- Addressing level 2-5 accessibility issues prior to launch (they will be backlogged)
- These updates will be applied to the existing online form. No marketing outreach to user groups is planned.
- The VBA will be closely involved in the review and release of these updates and communicate any impacts to downstream teams (e.g., claim processing)
💡 Use for any Collab Cycle tracking, questions.
- Design Intent: TBD
- CAIA Kickoff Meeting: TBD
- Midpoint Review: TBD
- Staging Review: TBD
- Target Launch Date: December 2024
- Actual Launch Date:
- GitHub Label: coe, umbrella
- Slack channel: #benefits-non-disability
- VA.gov link: https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/request-coe-form-26-1880/introduction
- Product Roadmap: link
- Demo video link: n/a
- Test users:
- Product repo: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/tree/master/products/apply-for-home-loan-COE
- Teams repo:
- Zenhub board: Workspace - Non-Disability experience
- Executive sponsor: Chris Johnston (christopher.johnston2@va.gov)
- Product Owner: Emily Theis (emily.theis@va.gov)
- VBA Stakeholders and SMEs: John Blankenship (Directof of LGY), R. Colin Deaso (Assist. Direcctor of LGY), Jennifer Spencer (Program Analyst)
- Product manager: Laura Steele
- Design and Research: Julie Pedke and Fiorella Geedi
- Engineering: Thomas Blackwell (lead), Dakota Larson, Sean Midgley, Micah Fraizer, Evan Smith, Tyler Fink
- Delivery: Sarah Ortiz Shields
- VBA Stakeholders and SMEs: John Blankenship (Directof of LGY), R. Colin Deaso (Assist. Direcctor of LGY), Jennifer Spencer (Program Analyst)
- CAIA Team (content review)
1 VA.gov Analytics - KPI Framework
2 SVPG: The Four Big Risks