The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has teamed up with Microsoft and the American Legion to create innovative digital health solutions for veterans.
Here are five takeaways from a Dec. 28 VA news release:
1. The organizations held the Veterans Health Hackathon in August, where 17 teams were selected out of 51 concepts developed to join the Make-a-thon.
2. Seven teams also created working prototypes during the 2024 Venture Studio program.
3. The 2025 Hackathon convened more than 350 participants — such as veterans, clinicians, caregivers and technologists — from 100-plus organizations (VA and otherwise) over four days to brainstorm AI-driven healthcare applications.
4. Seventeen experts judged concepts across three tracks: timely access to care; optimizing enterprise costs and operational efficiency; and improving community care coordination.
5. The finalists, representing 22 VA medical centers, will advance their ideas during the Make-a-thon, which runs from December to March.
