Craigslist founder to work with VA

The founder of Craigslist will join a panel of judges who'll review ideas on how to improve processing times for veterans’ disability claims, the Veterans Affairs Department has announced.

Craig Newmark, Craigslist’s founder, will help review the ideas gathered during an innovation competition that let VA employees submit ideas on how to improve delivery of benefits, VA officials said Nov. 4.

VA officials from the department's 57 regional offices across the country submitted ideas that will be reviewed by the panel. Patrick Dunne, the VA's undersecretary for benefits, is chairman of the panel.

The VA has received and reviewed more than 3,000 suggestions since Sept. 8, the department said. The panel will review the top 17 submissions and choose five projects that will receive full funding for project development and execution at the regional office that submitted the idea, according to the VA.

“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,” said Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

The Internet and other technologies can help government agencies transform how work gets done, Newmark said.

“I am very encouraged by the fact that VA is embracing new ways to look at old problems,” he said.