Optum Serve VA Community Care
Championing the voice of the veteran through collaborative service design—identifying experience gap
The 2018 VA MISSION Act marked a transformative shift in how veterans access healthcare—expanding their ability to receive care from community providers while aiming to deliver a world-class, seamless customer experience. Following the passage of the act, Optum was awarded the contract to build and manage the infrastructure that would support this new model. That solution became Optum Serve.
As part of the broader CX team, we were responsible for championing the voice of the customer—in this case, the veteran—through enterprise collaboration, operational oversight, and innovative, human-centered problem solving. Our team played a critical role in shaping the experience strategy that would support both the VA’s objectives and Optum’s operational execution.
I led a team that facilitated working sessions with cross-functional stakeholders to align on the overall service design. From there, we developed personas and journey maps that highlighted experience gaps, proactively surfaced potential pain points, and guided solution design. These deliverables helped stakeholders across the organization align around a shared understanding of the veteran and provider experience—and ultimately shaped the delivery of products and services that met the high bar set by the MISSION Act.
This work supported not only beneficiary experience excellence, but also strengthened Optum’s relationship with the VA and elevated the enterprise value of Optum Serve.
Related Press Release
Department of Veteran Affairs, December 28, 2018, VA awards Community Care Network contracts to increase health care access
Project Details
My Role
Led experience strategy and facilitation efforts for the Optum Serve Community Care Network, aligning cross-functional teams to deliver a veteran-centered care experience. Oversaw the development of service design artifacts to guide product delivery and stakeholder alignment.
The Team
Collaborated with a cross-functional group spanning product, operations, readiness and VA leadership. My team facilitated working sessions, developed personas and journey maps, and helped translate insights into actionable solutions across the service ecosystem.
Key Outcomes
- Identified experience gaps and proactively surfaced potential pain points
- Enabled stakeholder alignment through clear, actionable design artifacts
- Strengthened Optum’s partnership with the VA and elevated enterprise value of Optum Serve
Designing seamless community care for veterans
