A tour of the Caseflow APIs

What's an API?

• Application Programming Interface
• A way for computer systems to talk to each other
• Server / client model

APIs that Caseflow uses as a client

• eFolder (documents)
• BGS (person data)
  • soon to be supplemented with MPI
• VBMS (establishing claims)
• Lighthouse APIs
  • Facilities API (hearings locations)
  • Address Validation API (translation tasks)
• GovDelivery (hearings emails)
• Pexip (video conferencing API for virtual hearings)

Caseflow is also an API server

Jobs API

• Used internally by Caseflow to schedule asynchronous jobs to be performed later
• Jobs are useful for a variety of purposes
  • Priority Push
  • Quarterly and annual metrics
  • Sync data from BGS or VBMS
  • Close out evidence submission windows
  • Full list of jobs

IDT API

• Used by IDT (Interactive Decision Template)
  • Microsoft Word Macro, built in VBScript by our PO Paul Saindon
  • Allows BVA Intake, attorneys, judges, and dispatch to generate Word documents using data fetched from Caseflow
  • DSVA Slack channel #appeals-idt
  • Caseflow Team Bravo did design research on how IDT is used, and what an IDT replacement might look like.
    • Technical summary
    • Training docs and analysis
• List appeals
  • for a Veteran
  • with a task assigned to the current user
• List all VLJs
• User's own details (name, VACOLS attorney ID, roles)
• Appeal details
• Veteran and POA details
• Outcode appeal (create decision document, upload it to VBMS, trigger any downstream effects of decision)
• Upload document to VBMS

Appeals Status API

• Used by VA.gov Appeals Status
  • Part of the Claim and Appeal Status Tool
  • DSVA Slack channel #vsa-claims-appeals
• Also used by Lighthouse
  • Publicly documented on the Lighthouse developer portal
• Allows Veterans to query for the status of their Appeals, HLRs, and SCs
  • Some possible statuses: pre-docket, pending hearing scheduling, scheduled hearing, evidentiary period, at VSO, on docket, decision in progress, etc.
  • Also includes description of issues

Hearings API

• Used by VEText
  • Platform built by VHA, originally to remind Veterans about medical appointments via SMS
  • Now managed by OCTO and used for all sorts of things
• Allows VEText to query for all hearings scheduled for a given day
  • Appeal ID
  • Facility (address, room number, virtual)
  • Veteran personal information
  • Timezone

Decision Reviews API

• Used by Lighthouse, in turn used by VA.gov
  • We have a biweekly touchpoint with the Lighthouse team
  • DSVA Slack channel #appeals-api
• Publicly documented on the Lighthouse developer portal
• Under active development, with end goal of allowing Veterans to submit their own decision reviews on VA.gov
  • Contestable Issues endpoint
  • Future: submit 0995, 0996, or 10182 endpoint

Addendum

• The canonical reference for Caseflow APIs is here, and I am indebted to Tomas's work on maintaining that page.
• A recording of this presentation is available.