Craigslist founder to serve on Veterans Affairs panel

Craigslist.org founder Craig Newmark has agreed to serve on a Veterans Affairs Department panel that will review ideas to improve disability claims processing times and provide greater transparency to vets, the agency announced on Wednesday.

Newmark told a high-tech conference in June that he was contemplating whether to "dedicate a big chunk of my life" to those who are driving change in Washington. He also said he wanted to spend more time practicing his own brand of public service.

"Transforming VA into an organization that is veteran-centric, results-oriented and forward-looking is my top priority," Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a press release. "Leveraging the talent, innovation and creativity of stakeholders, like Craig Newmark, is just one of the many ways VA can think outside of the box to help deliver tangible results to our nation's veterans."

VA officials from each of the agency's 57 regional offices nationwide have submitted more than 3,000 ideas, which will be reviewed by Newmark and other panel members. Newmark said he looked forward to working with VA's leadership team to "bring tangible results" to veterans. He added that he is encouraged by the fact that VA is "embracing new ways to look at old problems."