The VA Transition Early Communications Team is being recognized in Category 3: Using Innovation, Data, and Breaking Down Organizational Barriers for transforming how service members receive support during their transition to civilian life, replacing 150+ disjointed emails with a personalized, journey-based experience that delivers clarity, guidance, and measurable results.

​

Each year, more than 160,000 service members separate from the military, often facing a confusing flood of information at one of life’s most challenging moments. In 2024, a cross-functional VA team overhauled this experience, replacing scattered outreach with a cohesive 30-message communication journey that begins 18 months before separation and continues 90 days after.

​

Co-created with Veterans and grounded in human-centered design, the new approach maps messages to key milestones, adapts to user behavior, and delivers timely nudges about benefits, health care, and life after service. The results have been immediate and powerful: open rates as high as 80%, strong engagement with VA.gov accounts and benefits, and a measurable increase in timely action by transitioning service members.

​

This campaign represents more than improved communication, it is a model for how government can serve with empathy, precision, and respect.