Open Data Plan

Purpose

This plan satisfies requirements in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-25-05 regarding public data asset dissemination.¹

Pursuant to the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is committed to improving the breadth and depth of our Open Data Catalog to make data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.²

Background

The VA is dedicated to delivering exceptional care and services to Veterans, ensuring their trust and improving their well-being. This Open Data Plan (Plan) aligns with this mission to enhance transparency, accountability, and innovation through managing data as a strategic asset, subject to appropriate safeguards for privacy, confidentiality, and security.

To ensure the Plan is mission-aligned, VA will emphasize the following guiding principles: enhancing service delivery, improving decision-making, supporting Veterans’ care, and fostering public trust and collaboration. Each section of the Plan will explicitly connect to VA’s overarching mission and vision.

The VA is a federal leader in making data available to Veterans and the public, fostering innovation in artificial intelligence, and promoting transparency and accountability. The VA ensures that any data released meets and exceeds appropriate safeguards for privacy, confidentiality, and security. The VA has a long-standing commitment to publishing information online about its ability to provide services to Veterans. This includes details such as the locations of Veteran gravestones at VA-managed national cemeteries, demographic information and numbers of Veterans using home loans, education benefits, and the compensation and pension benefits earned through their service to the United States. Additionally, VA shares information about quality measures through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Hospital Quality Initiative Public Reporting, as well as through the Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) Value Model.

In 2014, the VA established its first Open Data initiative to meet the initial requirements set forth by the Office of Management and Budget’s M-13-13 Open Data Policy—Managing Information as an Asset, issued on May 9, 2013. Initially, VA implemented its Open Data solution in collaboration with the General Services Administration. Since then, it has migrated to a commercial off-the-shelf solution, providing a robust system that includes data descriptions, visualizations, and the continued release of data assets. The VA involves all its Administrations and Staff Offices in its Open Data program, ensuring that any data released meets stringent requirements to safeguard Veteran privacy and confidentiality. To date, VA has collected metadata on 1,943 data assets and published them on Data.gov, and published those data assets and 217 data stories on the www.va.gov/data webpage.

The following sections describe how VA continues to meet the requirements of Title II of the Evidence Act, the OPEN Government Data Act, which aims to enhance transparency and accessibility of government data.³ It requires federal agencies to publish their open data information online in standardized, machine-readable formats, ensuring that metadata is included in the Data.gov Federal Data Catalog. OMB M-25-05 further defines key actions that facilitate improved governance and innovation by making data readily available and accessible to the public.

Agency Data Requirements

This Plan follows the structure of OMB M-25-05 section 6, AGENCY DATA REQUIREMENTS: OPEN DATA PLAN, as listed below.

• Data Collection Processes for Open Formats
• Data Usage Information
• Collaboration with Data Users
• Open Data Point of Contact
• Improvement Processes
• Open Data Goal Requirements
• Prioritizing Public Data Asset Review
• Compliance Status
• Updating the Strategic Information Resources Management Plan

Data Collection Processes for Open Formats

Objective: Ensure data collection aligns with VA’s mission to serve Veterans, and all data collected is easily accessible and usable.

Methods/Procedures: Implement processes to collect data in open formats.

Mission Alignment: This ensures that all collected data can be utilized effectively in enhancing Veteran services.

The VA collects data with the intent to support operational efficiency, improve service delivery to Veterans, and enable transparency. Through data warehousing efforts and various levels of analytical and reporting solutions, data is made available to VA staff throughout the various offices, in adherence to privacy and security requirements. The VA staff, particularly those working within data governance, data analytics, and with large data sets support open data collection through submission of data assets recognized as providing improved measurement of policies, better government efficiency, deeper analytical insights, greater citizen participation, and potentially boosting to private sector by way of products and services that use government data. Data assets will be collected in forms consistent with OMB M-25-05, logically grouped, and placed in an open data format compliant with OMB M-25-05. The VA will continually educate staff on the importance of open formats and promote the best practices for implementing the guidelines. The VA uses the Open Data Platform as its comprehensive data inventory, providing a centralized location for VA to evaluate and improve its open government data assets.

Because of VA’s robust reporting solutions and its comprehensive data management strategy, VA has been able to provide data in open data formats since January 14, 2019, the enactment date of the OPEN Government Data Act. On June 29, 2023, VA launched Handbook 0900, Open Data – Managing Information As An Asset, to establish guidance regarding VA data asset collection efforts and procedures for managing information as an asset. The VA will update Handbook 0900 to reflect new OMB policies.

Not all VA data, however, is ready for release to the public through VA’s Open Data platform due to the nature of the data or the way the data is stored at rest. For instance, radiographic images, retinal images, and other medical procedure data are not stored in open format databases. To maintain Veteran trust, comply with all privacy and security laws and regulations, and meet VA’s ethical principles as outlined in 38 C.F.R § 0.605, VA does not release individual medical record information for any Veteran through Open Data. Through advanced reporting solutions, VA can aggregate health data and other types of data available in open data formats. Below are some examples:

1. Data loaded to the Platform as a dataset is available in a variety of open formats, including XML and JSON, and can be exported or connected to via API. Example: On-Platform Dataset: Veteran Compensation Expenditures By State of Residence and Age Group FY 2024.
2. Digital assets in a non-open format can either be loaded as a dataset for auto-conversion to an open format or linked to and identified for later conversion to an open format. Example: Linked-to Dataset (this example is in an open format but could have been a non-open one): VA Mission Act Section 505 Data.
3. Non-digital assets can either be scanned and added for download or metadata-only placeholders can be created to represent non-digital assets and identify them for later conversion. Example: Downloadable Asset (this could also be metadata-only): Synthetic Suicide Prevention Dataset.

Data Usage Information

Objective: Provide transparency and insights into how public data assets are used, thereby supporting innovation and service improvements.

Methods/Procedures: Collect and analyze data usage statistics (such as most viewed), and research citations. Regularly publish data usage information on the VA website, improving public access and transparency.

Mission Alignment: By understanding how data is used, VA can better meet the needs of Veterans and stakeholders, optimizing services and resources.

The VA maintains robust solutions for tracking the usage of VA data and the information technology platforms involved. Depending on the specific IT system, VA can identify which staff members and other authorized end users are accessing it. This information helps inform VA decisions about maintaining specific IT operational systems. For data assets published on VA’s Open Data platform, the platform tracks public access by dataset.

This information enables VA to focus on highly accessed data assets and ensure they are updated with current source data. For data assets less frequently queried by the public, VA can evaluate whether these datasets should be expanded or provided in other open data formats to generate more public interest. Metrics can be filtered by most relevant, most viewed, recently added, recently updated, and filtered by organization. Between May 2019 and May 2025, there were 3.2 million Application Programming Interface (API) reads, 2.2 million page visits, 3.6 million downloads, 4 million public searches, and 500,000 third-party referrals.

The VA will host a data story about the utilization of data on its Open Data platform so the public can easily find statistics about the datasets. Additionally, VA will develop a process to identify publications that have cited VA data assets available on the Open Data platform.

Collaboration with Data Users

Objective: Foster collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders to enhance data utility and drive innovation.

Methods/Procedures: Establish ongoing dialogue with external stakeholders, including businesses, researchers, and public members. Utilize various methods to engage with the public, seeking input to improve data access and usability.

Mission Alignment: Collaborative efforts will harness the collective expertise of stakeholders to improve services for Veterans.

The VA continues to engage with the public to share its data assets, aiming to enhance the lives of Veterans. The VA has participated in numerous Academic Health Datapaloozas, (conferences to promote access to open data for the purpose of improving public health) hosted events with external software teams to develop innovative solutions using the VA data, produced synthetic health datasets for external researchers to address various healthcare challenges, and offers a wide range of data for download from the VA’s Open Data platform. VA regularly makes data available within the organization to improve Veteran outreach, as exemplified by initiatives such as the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022.

The VA has an extensive research program that advances generalized knowledge using internal data assets and has developed specific in-house solutions to utilize open-source tools like R for analyzing Veteran data. Many researchers from academic institutions participate in VA research studies through a program that allows them to contribute as without-compensation employees. Additionally, VA establishes Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). A Basic Science CRADA is intended for basic research and development, software, engineering, testing, or evaluation studies in which VA’s Principal Investigator develops or substantially contributes to the research plan. A Data Collection CRADA involves the retrospective or prospective collection of data from patient medical records, such as registries, data mining, and outcomes analysis. Other types of CRADAs include Material Transfer, Investigational Device, Principal Investigator Initiated, and Clinical Trial Phases I – IV.

In 2013, VA established and currently maintains the Open Data Working Group (ODWG), consisting of Administration and Staff Office Open Data Liaisons from all VA organizational components and reporting to the Chief Data Officer and Data Governance Council. ODWG is tasked with the following to ensure compliance and improve public access: 1) establish, revise, and provide resources for VA’s enterprise open data priorities and needs that support VA’s mission and strategic plan; 2) support Office of the Chief Data Officer (OCDO) initiatives and ensure appropriate priority setting and corresponding resource allocation; 3) ensure OCDO complies with federal legislation and guidance; and 4) periodically assess open data efforts and progress, and adjust VA’s approach, resourcing, and priorities as required to maximize the use of data as a strategic asset.

The VA is committed to ongoing engagement with internal and external data users to enhance the value and usability of its data assets. The platform hosts “Help” and “Getting Started on Our Open Data Platform” sessions with top tips for getting started, how to easily find what’s needed in the data catalog, view stories and dashboards, preview and download data, create charts, maps and more. The public interface allows VA to track usage of VA open data sets. This allows the VA to understand how data users value and use government data. Each data asset within the VA Open Data Portal includes publisher, organizational, and contact information, improving the ability to communicate with originators of open data assets, ultimately facilitating sharing of information, best practices, and innovations. The VA routinely communicates and collaborates with other federal agencies as to their development of their Open Data Catalogs. There is a contact email address, OITOpenData@va.gov, on its Open Data page where the public can ask questions about existing data assets, request modifications to existing data assets, or inquire about new datasets not yet published on the Open Data platform.

Every dataset on the platform has a Dataset Owner as well as a Contact Name and Contact Email for direct feedback from the public. The public can use on-Platform data with contextual Stories and underlying data access for export or API downstream use. Example:

National Cemetery Administration – Gravesite Locator has 40k API reads, 28k views, 16k downloads.

Open Data Point of Contact

Objective: Ensure a designated point of contact is available to assist with open data queries and feedback.

Methods/Procedures: Appoint an open data contact within the agency, prominently display their contact information on the VA website, and ensure responsiveness.

Mission Alignment: A dedicated point of contact ensures that Veterans and other stakeholders can easily access assistance, enhancing transparency and trust.

The VA Open Data Program within the Office of the Chief Data Officer manages the OITOpenData@va.gov mailbox to assist the public with open data inquiries. The email address is prominently displayed on the VA Open Data webpage for external stakeholders to use. The Open Data Program monitors the mailbox, triages questions to the appropriate Administration and Staff Office Open Data Liaisons and responds to the public in a timely manner. Key Senior Evidence and Data Officials, including primary Open Data Point of Contact, are also prominently displayed on VA’s Open Data Portal (www.va.gov/data).

The VA’s ODWG implemented points of contact (Open Data Liaisons) for each Administration and Staff Office as well as a VA Open Data Lead located within the VA Office of Information and Technology. Open Data Liaisons are responsible for coordinating data assets within each organization represented in the VA’s federated point of contact strategy. In addition, VA has subject matter experts who regularly participate with public events describing how to obtain and use prepared data for engineering, scientific study, and other external users.

Every data asset lists a point of contact. Many points of contact are identified with an email distribution list to prevent a single point of failure when responding to the public. Every dataset on the Platform provides both a Contact Name and Contact Email, allowing the public to respond to quality issues directly on assets.

Improvement Processes

Objective: Continuously evaluate and improve the quality and accessibility of open data assets.

Methods/Procedures: Conduct regular evaluation of data assets, incorporating public feedback and compliance with relevant laws.

Mission Alignment: This allows VA to continually enhance data quality and availability, supporting robust decision-making and care improvement.

The VA will regularly evaluate and enhance its Open Data program through the following mechanisms:

• The ODWG serves as the most senior entity in VA’s Open Data organization, providing strategic support and guidance to the OCDO and implementers.
• Public feedback and agency mission needs will continue to be incorporated into future data asset releases.

The VA Handbook 0900, Open Data- Managing Information as an Asset, established primary and alternative Open Data Liaisons for each Administration and Staff office within VA. It also requires the establishment of internal Open Data teams including, but not limited to, the following subject matter expertise: Privacy Act, Artificial Intelligence and other Data Users, Ethics, Freedom of Action, and Information Security Officers. The Handbook enumerates steps to follow to release data assets to the Open Data platform, steps to follow monthly to ensure data quality continues, and lists metadata requirements that must be met. In addition, VA created an internal dashboard that enables data stewards and Open Data Liaisons to validate existing data assets currently published.

The VA is exploring the potential uses and impact of Synthetic Data for Open Data. Increased Artificial Intelligence use will assist in the development and availability of synthetic data. The VA’s mission is focused on Veteran Health and service benefits, much of which contains personally identifiable information (PII). Therefore, synthetic data presents an opportunity for increased Open Data sharing exclusive of Veteran medical and personally identifiable characteristics. Anticipated uses of synthetic data include making claims and processing data detail available to the public. Benefits include easier and more comprehensive collaboration with non-Government entities, businesses, researchers, and the public for the purpose of better understanding how VA serves Veterans; potential claim process improvements for timeliness, completeness, consistency, and accuracy; improved timeliness of identification and resolution of Veteran health issues; and for fostering collaboration and improving transparency and trust with the public.

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will also use the OIT Information Resources Management (IRM) Strategic Plan for Open Data Plan improvement. The OIT IRM Strategic Plan references processes for acquiring, updating or repurposing technology, providing training opportunities for employees, ensuring staffing for implementation of information resource management plan, and updating procurement standards, to allow acquisition of innovative solutions from public and private sectors.

The VA uses the Open Data Platform as its comprehensive data inventory, providing a centralized location to evaluate and improve its open government data assets. The platform includes features that can facilitate a regular workflow for improving open government data assets: users can be organized into teams and teams can own assets; alerts can be created for when conditions are met such as the data not having been updated for a certain amount of time; notifications can be created for when any change is made to data or metadata for quality control purposes.

An expanded portfolio of Data Stories combines data, visualizations, and narrative context to tailor data for specific audience(s), increasing its usability and allowing users to glean real insights (example of VetPop2023 Data Story).

Open Data Goal Requirements

Objective: Ensure the necessary infrastructure and expertise are in place to support open data initiatives.

Methods/Procedures: Establish processes for IT acquisition, employee training, and updating procurement standards to acquire innovative solutions.

Mission Alignment: By equipping VA with modern tools and knowledge, the agency can better serve Veterans through efficient and accurate data utilization.

Data is central to VA’s mission and foundational to the Agency, as all VA components work together to enhance the health, benefits, and care of all Veterans through VA services. OIT

has an established intake process for any requests to acquire, update, or repurpose technology. OIT leverages existing technology and uses the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) to improve VA’s IT management, enhance cybersecurity, and ensure cost effective technology acquisition to serve Veterans and comply with all regulations, including those surrounding Open Data.

For AI Acquisitions, OIT follows OMB M-25-22, sections 3(b), 3(d), 3(e), 3(h), 4(c) and 4(d). In addition, OIT works collaboratively with the Office of Strategic Sourcing and with the budget office to ensure compliance with the Capital Planning and Investment Control processes, Federal Acquisition Regulations, and VA’s OIT Strategic Plan.

Prioritizing Public Data Asset Review

Objective: Identify and prioritize public data assets that significantly impact the public and Veterans.

Methods/Procedures: Prioritize data asset reviews, including public input.

Mission Alignment: Prioritizing impactful data assets ensures that the most beneficial information is readily available to improve Veteran services and meet public needs.

The VA is committed to the timely review and release of high-value data assets, based upon Veteran and public demand. Input from Veterans and the public will help set data asset priorities. In prioritizing data asset review, VA will: 1) prioritize datasets based on public demand, Veteran impact, alignment with strategic goals, and opportunities for innovation; 2) coordinate and collaborate with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office to identify and review priority public data assets for possible inclusion in the Open Data Portal; and 3) maintain the ODWG and its membership to ensure open data contacts throughout all of VA.

Compliance Status

Objective: Ensure full compliance with relevant laws and regulations regarding open data dissemination.

Methods/Procedures: Commit to adhering to all requirements of the OPEN Government Data Act and related regulations.

Mission Alignment: Compliance with these standards ensures that VA upholds its commitment to transparency, accountability, and high-quality service delivery

The VA complies with all requirements of this Memorandum and the requirements of 44 U.S.C. 3511 when disseminating a public data asset pursuant to the Act. Annually, VA will report compliance status to the VA Data Governance Council, pursuant to the following:

• Open data inventory
• Public datasets on data.va.gov
• Research open data program maturity

Updating the Strategic Information Resources Management Plan

The VA will release a separate Information Resources Management (IRM) Strategic Plan and post it on www.va.gov/data. The IRM Strategic Plan will be updated annually.

Appendix A: Definitions

• Data – Recorded information, regardless of form or the media on which the data is recorded. (44 U.S.C. § 3502)⁴
• Data asset – A collection of data elements or data sets that may be grouped (44 U.S.C. § 3502)
• Federal Data Catalog – A centralized public online interface dedicated to sharing S. government data assets with the public; maintained by GSA and available through Data.gov. (OMB M-25-05)
• Machine-readable – Data in a format that can be easily processed by a computer without human intervention while ensuring no semantic meaning is (44 U.S.C. § 3502)
• Metadata – Structural or descriptive information about data such as content, format, source, rights, accuracy, provenance, frequency, periodicity, granularity, publisher or responsible party, contact information, method of collection, and other (44 U.S.C. § 3502)
• Open Data – Publicly available data structured in a way that enables the data to be fully discoverable and usable by end users. (OMB M-13-13)⁵
• Open format – A file format for storing digital data where the format is platform independent and machine-readable and is maintained (A) at no cost to the public; and

(B) with no restrictions on copying, publishing, distributing, transmitting, citing, or adapting such a format. (OMB M-25-05)

• Open Government data asset – A public data asset that is-
  • machine-readable;
  • available (or could be made available) in an open format;
  • not encumbered by restrictions, other than intellectual property rights, including under titles 17 and 35, that would impede the use or reuse of such asset; and
  • based on an underlying open standard that is maintained by a standards organization. (44 U.S.C. § 3502)
• Open license – A legal guarantee that a data asset is made available-
  • at no cost to the public; and
  • with no restrictions on copying, publishing, distributing, transmitting, citing, or adapting such asset. (44 U.S.C. § 3502)
• Public data asset – A data asset, or part thereof, maintained by the Federal Government that has been, or may be, released to the public, including any data asset, or part thereof, subject to disclosure under section 552 of title 5. (44 U.S.C. § 3502)

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1 OMB M-25-05 provided guidance on the contents of agency Open Data Plans. See Off. of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. Off. of the President, OMB M-25-05 Phase 2 Implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018: Open Government Data Access and Management Guidance (2025) (PDF). back

2 Public Law No. 115-435 (2019), Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 is also referred to as the Evidence Act. back

3 Title II of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 is also referred to as the Open, Public, Electronic, and Necessary Government Data Act or the OPEN Government Data Act. back

4 44 U.S.C. § 3502: Definitions, available at 44 USC 3502: Definitions back

5 “Open data” was last defined in OMB Memorandum M-13-13, which M-25-05 replaced. See Office of Management and Budget, Exec. Office of the President, OMB M-13-13 Open Data Policy – Managing Information as an Asset (2013) (PDF). back