VA United

Inspiration

Our local (Buffalo) VA administration recently presented a prevalent issue to students from our high school in hopes of gaining a solution. This issue was regarding a scarcity of volunteers, specifically, an insufficient number consisting of those from younger generations. Primarily through the recent covid crisis, Veteran Affairs sites have seen less and less interest due to various factors, many of which stem from a lack of information.

What it does

All over the internet, information regarding the VA is scattered. In order to find the different locations of the many centers and health care facilities, it requires multiple sites and Google searches. Our app is a simple way to connect users with local VA sites with one location to search for all.

This app will allow for the opportunity to quickly be directed to the website and location of the health care facilities, pharmacies, benefits, cemeteries, and urgent and emergency care locations. With quick and easy access to this information, locating information regarding the VA has never been easier.

How we built it

To develop our app we used various functions presented by the MIT app inventor. For our various screens: emergency care, health, benefits, urgent care, cemetery, etc, we used the web viewer function with a variety of text blocks, to take our users to each website connected with the locations. Depending on where the potential users want to go, the home screen navigates to the various screens in seconds, to provide the name, phone number, location, and website. Being connected to the VA has never been easier.

Challenges we ran into

Learning the software posed our team's biggest challenge. Having to navigate unfamiliar concepts to produce solutions to technological obstacles was time-consuming and frustrating. Specifically, in our app, we had the most trouble with the functions of the buttons. Moreover, the Apple products do not connect well with the AI companion of MIT App Inventor, so we needed to use an outside source/device to test each time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Within the development of our app, small victories were vital in keeping us strung along. We were delighted with the way our designs and functions of the app came together. Being 4 group members who have never worked together, the amount of collaboration and teamwork we shared over the past months is incredible. After conducting numerous amounts of research, we are proud to produce an app that will make such an impact on the lives of people who have done so much for our country already.

What we learned

Over the past few months of creating and designing our app, we learned that the task was not easy. Thinking of an idea, a design, and managing to rally our busy group members together for weekly meetings was a daunting task. Numerous hours have been spent researching and perfecting new designs for this competition and the future of our app. We have gone through multiple tests and revisions over the past months, and we learned that communication and constructive criticism was crucial in making this development possible. In the end, we are happy to know this app will make a difference.

What's next for VA United

Moving forward, we hope to expand the locations and reach of our app. In the future, we would also like to include additional opportunities such as upcoming events, fundraisers, and available benefits. We hope to bridge the gap between generations involved with the Veterans Affairs to provide a greater sense of widespread community outreach and support.