Natural Language Online Workflow (NOW)

Overview

Development stage

In development or acquisitionSource: a) Pre-deployment – The use case is in a development or acquisition status.

High-impact designation

High-impactSource: a) High-impact

Impact justification

Not reported

Start date

Not reported

Withheld from public reporting

Not reported

Mission

Topic area

Service Delivery

Operational functions

Chatbot or virtual assistant, Clinical and medical Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

- Information Gaps and Misinformation: Veterans and staff often have trouble finding accurate, consistent answers about vasectomy procedures, eligibility, risks, and next steps. Policies and contacts change and not everyone knows where to look. - Inefficient Consult Request Process: Requesting a consult can be confusing, requiring multiple phone calls, paper forms, or follow-ups that delay care. Veterans may give up or receive the wrong info, which slows down the process and frustrates everyone. - Inefficient Use of Staff Time on Routine Questions: Clinical and administrative staff spend a lot of time answering the same questions or redirecting Veterans to the right place. This eats up resources that could be used for more complex cases. - Missed or Delayed Care: If eligibility is unclear, or the Veteran doesn’t know how to proceed, appointments and procedures get delayed. This can lead to worse outcomes and more work down the line. - Inconsistent Communication: Without a standard source, Veterans might get different answers depending on who they ask or what site they visit.

Expected benefits

- Centralizes reliable information in one place and it is always up-to-date. - Removes ambiguity for users by guiding them through eligibility and next steps. - Streamlines the consult request process, making it easy to start and track the process. - Reduces repetitive work for staff, so they can focus on higher-priority needs. - Flags new or complex questions for human follow-up, so nothing falls through the cracks.

System outputs

- Personalized Responses: the chatbot gives tailored answers to user questions about vasectomy procedures, eligibility, risks, recovery, and next steps—based on the latest VA policies and user input. - eligibility Screening Results: it guides users through a Screening process and outputs a clear summary: whether the Veteran appears eligible, concerns or risks to discuss with a provider, and any required follow-@up steps -@ consult request Guidance: it outputs step-@by-step instructions or links to start a vasectomy consult, including local facility contact info and how to proceed based on the user’s location. -@ summary of user Input: the chatbot can output a formatted summary of the Veteran’s Responses (e.g., medical history, concerns) for review by a clinician or for the user to save. - Referral or Escalation Notices: If the chatbot can’t answer a question, it outputs a message acknowledging the limit and Flags the question for human follow-up, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. - Data Logs and Analytics: on the backend, it outputs Logs of common questions, user needs, and potential gaps in information. This helps the agency track trends, monitor usage, and improve over time.

Technology

AI classification

Agentic AISource: Agentic AI: AI systems that perform tasks or make decisions autonomously with minimal human intervention.

System name(s)

Not reported

Custom-developed code

Not reported

Public source code

Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built

Not reported

Vendor (as reported)

Not reported

Vendors (standardized)

None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII

Not reported

Privacy Impact Assessment

Not reported

Authorization to Operate

Not reported

Demographic features

Not reported

Training and evaluation data

Not reported

Federal Data Catalog

Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported