The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is actively enhancing its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve its services and support for retired servicemembers, particularly those facing crises. This includes utilizing AI capabilities in its electronic health record system to streamline operations.
In December 2020, an executive order from the Trump administration mandated that non-intelligence agencies publicly disclose their AI usage. Though the current administration has rolled back certain reporting mandates from the Biden era, agencies were still required to share their inventories in December.
The VA’s 2025 AI use case inventory was released in late January, aligning with the schedules of other federal agencies affected by government shutdowns and holidays.
A review by Nextgov/FCW highlights the ongoing focus of the VA on AI tools to improve both its internal processes and veteran health service delivery. Interestingly, the department has decided to phase out nearly one-third of the AI use cases from its 2024 inventory.
The inventory for 2025 identified 367 potential AI applications, a notable jump from the previous year’s 227 entries. However, it also included 72 retired use cases, indicating that those projects have either ceased development or use since their inclusion in the 2024 inventory.
The number of actively deployed AI applications remained fairly stable, with 138 noted in the 2025 inventory. While the 2024 report used “operation and maintenance” terminology for active cases, it referenced 130 deployed cases.
“The department’s AI Inventory demonstrates VA’s commitment to transparent and responsible innovation. It allows us to track, assess, and optimize our AI systems, ensuring they remain safe, secure, and responsible,” stated VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz in correspondence with Nextgov/FCW. “This year’s inventory reflects steady growth, stronger governance, and an expanding impact in health care, benefits processing, and operational efficiency.”
Among the initiatives highlighted in the latest inventory is the Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health-Veteran Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET) program. This predictive model, launched in April 2017, identifies veterans at the highest risk of suicide to facilitate targeted intervention efforts. A new version of this model was released last year, incorporating additional risk factors like military sexual trauma.
The VA is also utilizing AI technologies to assist operators of the Veteran Crisis Line in their interactions with veterans. In the latest inventory, the department revealed it is preparing to deploy a project titled “Leveraging Acoustic-Linguistic Analytics and Social Determinants to Enhance Suicide Prevention Efforts in Veterans Crisis Line Interventions.” This initiative aims to analyze call data to assess imminent suicide risks and the effectiveness of crisis interventions.
VA officials have previously emphasized that AI applications aimed at supporting veterans in crisis are intended to enhance, rather than replace, clinical outreach and training efforts for crisis line staff. Researchers and advocates for veterans agree that these tools should always be used as a complement to traditional mental health interventions.
Concerns regarding human oversight in the application of patient-facing AI were echoed by a VA watchdog. A report released last month by the Office of the Inspector General cautioned that the department’s use of generative AI in clinical contexts poses potential risks to patient safety.
The Inspector General’s report also highlighted a lack of formal mechanisms within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to monitor and address risks associated with generative AI, raising questions about the department’s ability to maintain patient safety without standardized risk management processes.
In response to the report, Kasperowicz reiterated, “VA clinicians utilize AI solely as a supportive tool, with all patient care decisions made by qualified VA personnel.”
Several AI initiatives in the inventory are also focused on broad modernization efforts within the department. The VA is restarting deployments of its new electronic health record (EHR) system across 13 medical facilities this year after a pause in April 2023 due to various challenges, including safety concerns, technical failures, and usability issues.
Dr. Neil Evans, the acting program executive director of VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office, mentioned at a summit last September that the department is prioritizing successful EHR deployments prior to integrating innovative technologies like AI.
“One significant advantage of deploying a standardized commercial EHR is that it will eventually allow us to more effectively integrate technology, as we will be operating from the same foundation,” Evans noted, highlighting the potential for incorporating next-generation technologies.
In its updated AI strategy released in October, the VA stated that initial applications of AI would inform future integrations within the new EHR system. “As AI tools are validated and found to be effective, they will be integrated into the EHR and other IT platforms through collaboration with both innovators and system management teams,” the strategy explained.
The department’s 2025 inventory detailed five AI initiatives pursued by the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, which is overseeing the transition to the new system.
One initiative noted is the pre-deployment phase for a clinical AI agent aimed at easing administrative burdens and enhancing operational efficiency within the EHR system. The VA indicated that the implementation of this AI agent would help healthcare providers reduce the time spent on documentation and administrative tasks during veteran appointments.
An instance from the 2024 inventory described an “initiated” case involving the Machine Algorithm for Report Surveillance (MARS), designed to prioritize ServiceNow incident tickets based on their potential impact on patient safety. While it was stated that data from the federal EHR system wouldn’t factor into MARS, the increase in incident tickets as more facilities adopt the new system could challenge manual review processes.
In the latest 2025 inventory, the MARS tool has been marked as retired.
