TL;DR
- The Department of Veterans Affairs upgraded VA.gov on November 11, Veterans Day.
- The agency says the work grew out of nearly 90,000 Veteran survey responses.
- Veterans can sign in with Login.gov, ID.me, or the new CLEAR or passkey options.
- Claim updates can arrive by text, with no password required.
- Document uploads now take three steps instead of 11.
The Department of Veterans Affairs upgraded VA.gov on November 11, Veterans Day. The agency says the work grew out of nearly 90,000 Veteran survey responses. Veterans tested the upgrades before the public launch.
The address is still VA.gov. Existing accounts still work. Benefits, claims, appointments, and eligibility have not changed. In-person and phone support have not changed either. VA describes this as an upgrade to the same digital front door, not a new website.
Veterans now start from a redesigned homepage. They can sign in with Login.gov, ID.me, or the new CLEAR or passkey options. All four choices are free and optional. Veterans who already use Login.gov or ID.me can keep those accounts. CLEAR is simply another option. A passkey does not replace a verified Login.gov, ID.me, or CLEAR account. A Veteran first creates a passkey in the VA.gov profile. The steps are under Account security, then Passkeys. They can then use a fingerprint, face, or device lock instead of a password.
VA says a passkey only works on the real VA.gov website or mobile app. A fake link in a scam message cannot steal it. Fingerprint, face, and device-lock data stay on the device. That information is never sent to VA.gov.
On a personal phone or computer, VA.gov can now keep a Veteran signed in for months. On a shared or public computer, they should still sign out every time.
Claim updates can arrive by text, with no password required. Veterans can also track a claim from submission to a decision without a phone call. Document uploads now take three steps instead of 11. The QuickSubmit tool is built into VA.gov. Veterans do not have to sign in again on a separate site.
The same idea is useful for East Texas businesses. A passkey is a strong way to sign in. It has built-in protection from phishing. It is worth turning on for the tools you already use.
Frankston businesses can ask veteran-owned My I.T. Consultants for a Free Assessment of sign-in security, including passkeys. Call 903-675-5431 Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Want help with this at your business? See Cybersecurity on our Services page or contact My I.T. Consultants.
