External Integrations
As you build on VA.gov, you will most likely need to connect your tool or application to one or more services or data sources that are external to the VA Platform. These external services are a mix of third party providers and data sources/services that are owned and maintained by the VA, outside of the Platform.
External integration glossary and application mapping
Service name | Description | Application/Component |
|---|---|---|
Appeals/Caseflow | Appeals Information API | Appeals Status, Claims Status |
ArcGIS | Interactive map server from ArcGIS.com | |
Benefits Gateway Service (BGS) | Provider of Veterans Benefits Administration data and business logic. | Letters, Claims Status, Dependency Claims, Payments, Debts, Debt Letters, Financial Status Report |
DS Logon | Self-service logon ID created by the Defense Manpower Data Center as an enterprise identity credential that allows people affiliated with the Department of Defense (DoD) or the VA access to several websites using a single username and password. | Login/Profile |
Enterprise Military Information Service (eMIS) | The service is the authoritative service for a Veteran's military service record and the coordination point for updates and corrections between the DoD and VA. | Login/Profile, Healthcare Application |
Eligibility Office Automation System (EOAS) | EOAS APIs provide a mechanism for submitting pre-need burial applications. | Application for Pre-Need Determination of Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery |
Enterprise Veterans Self Service Portal Platform (EVSS) | EVSS APIs allow you to interface with Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) systems. | Claims Status, Appeals Status, Letters, Forms, Profile Endpoints Emails, primary_phones and alternate_phones, Addresses, DependentApplications, DisabilityCompensationForms, Documents, EVSSClaims, IntentToFiles, LettersPost911GIBillStatuses, PPIU, Healthcare Application |
GI Bill Data Service (GIDS) | An administrative tool used to aggregate public data about education institutions. | |
ID.me | A digital identity verification service used by many government agencies. | Login/Profile |
My HealtheVet (MHV) | The VA's Personal Health Record for Veterans, Service members, their caregivers and others. | Secure messaging, Prescription refills, health records |
Master Person Index (MPI) | The authoritative identity service within the VA, establishing, maintaining and synchronizing identities for VA clients, Veterans and beneficiaries. | Login/Profile, Healthcare Application, Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, VAOS, Medical Copays |
Search.gov | Powers search functionality on VA.gov. For more details, see search.gov. | Search |
VA Profile (formerly known as Vets360) | Aims to be the golden record of contact information within the VA. Provides an all-encompassing profile of a person associated with the VA, providing information such as Contact info, Health Benefits and Military Personnel Data. | Login/Profile, Healthcare Application, Prefill |
Veteran Information/Eligibility Record Services (VIERS) | Provides Veteran military history information services and interfaces with many data sources, including eMIS and EVSS. | All Claims, Claims for Increase, Disability Compensation, Education Benefits, Health Care Application |
The Imaging Management System (TIMS) | Spool files generated from education benefits forms are sent to an SFTP server. TIMS collects the spool files from the SFTP server, parses the headers from each claim, and transforms and stores the claims for processing. We don't integrate directly with TIMS. | Education Benefits |
Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) | A workflow and claims management software solution custom-built for the Veterans Administration. | Burials, Pensions, Disability claim, Debt Letters |
DMC | Debt Management Center | Debts, Financial Status Report |
External service monitoring
While we don’t own these services, we do monitor their health and stability and report issues to OCTO-DE leadership. Awareness of external service performance can help you:
Understand how your product or feature might perform when it relies on an external service for performance
Make educated design and architecture decisions regarding cache strategies and error messaging
Related links:
In the EKS system, we monitor Applications and Infrastructure with Datadog:
More links and resources
Learn more about VA-related data, databases, data services and integration-related incident management protocols.
External Service Integrations 🔒
Details about services that support and make VA.gov run.Getting started with identity
Learn more about DS Logon, My HealtheVet, and ID.me, the services related to user identity on VA.gov.
Troubleshooting and incident management
If there is a bug or performance issue with an external service, coordinate with the owner of that service to troubleshoot and resolve the issue. For contact information, see the External Service Integrations page.
If you can’t find the contact information you’re looking for, you can get help from the Platform in Slack.
Help and feedback
Get help from the Platform Support Team in Slack.
Submit a feature idea to the Platform.