This month was focused on making Vala easier to use across the full claims workflow, from preparing forms and organizing records to tracking deadlines and getting documents signed.
We also had a great time connecting with county VSOs at NACVSO. Those conversations validated many of the workflows we've been building and reinforced that Vala is ready to support the needs of larger county and state organizations.
We shipped major improvements to vSign, document organization, contacts, VA form support, appeal deadline tracking, and internal quality improvements. Together, these updates reduce manual work, improve consistency, and make it easier to move cases from intake through completed forms and ongoing case management.
As always, thank you for the feedback that continues to shape the platform and guide what we build next.
— Kyle, James, Justin, Lenaire, and JD
What shipped
vSign Is Now Even Better
We continued improving the signing experience inside Vala.
You can now:
Use a more consistent signing workflow across forms and documents
See clearer autosave indicators while editing forms
Automatically save text fields after completing edits
Prevent clients from signing before required edits have been saved
Benefit from improved representative signing behavior
These updates make signing feel faster, more reliable, and fully integrated into the rest of your workflow.
Better Form Editing & PDF Generation
We made several improvements to preparing and generating forms.
You can now:
Fit longer text into PDF fields more reliably
Preserve formatting in narrative and remarks fields
Generate cleaner forms with more consistent text formatting
Use improved PDF rendering across generated documents
These improvements reduce manual cleanup while producing more polished final documents.
Expanded Form Support
We continue expanding the forms available inside Vala.
You can now:
Generate DD Form 149 directly within the platform
Use improved autofill behavior across supported forms
Route additional forms through vSign
Our goal remains simple: prepare, review, and sign every document without leaving Vala.
Contacts & Client Relationships
We expanded how Vala manages contacts and client relationships.
You can now:
Track contacts separately from client records
Associate family members, caregivers, representatives, and other relationships
Search for potential duplicate contacts
Better organize everyone connected to a veteran's case
These improvements make it easier to manage everyone involved in a veteran's case while setting the stage for even richer relationship management.
Better Document Organization
We continued improving document management for growing practices.
You can now:
Organize documents into folders
Move files more easily
Better manage larger document libraries
See failed uploads more clearly
Work with improved document tables and navigation
As firms bring more records into Vala, keeping everything organized becomes just as important as processing it.
Smarter Deadline Tracking
We improved how appeal deadlines are surfaced throughout the platform.
You can now:
Track appeal deadlines more accurately
See deadline information directly within claims
Receive notifications when new deadlines are generated
Jump directly from notifications into the relevant calendar event
These updates make it easier to stay ahead of important filing deadlines.
Security, Administration & Reliability
We also shipped numerous improvements behind the scenes.
Highlights include:
Stronger environment security
Improved administrative controls
Better internal quality monitoring and administrative reporting
Improved deployment and platform operations
Continued performance and reliability improvements
While many of these changes aren't immediately visible, they help keep Vala faster, more stable, and more secure as we continue to grow.
What we’re building next
More Complete Signing Workflows
We're continuing to expand vSign.
Expect:
Better guest signer support
Witness and third-party signatures
More flexible signature routing
Even fewer manual steps
Deeper Document Organization
As practices continue migrating into Vala, organization becomes increasingly important.
We're working on:
Better organization for large document libraries
Bulk document and library migration tools
More powerful search and filtering
Richer document organization and metadata
Smarter Claim Management
We're continuing to improve how teams organize and manage claims.
Expect:
Expanded review lane support
Better claim filtering
Improved workflow organization
More flexibility across different claim types
Better Client Communication
We're continuing to improve communication throughout the platform.
Expect:
Message template previews
Improved client document workflows
Better notifications
Continued portal improvements
Continued Reliability & Performance
We'll continue improving the everyday experience.
Expect:
Faster uploads
Better document processing
Cleaner navigation
Continued usability improvements throughout the platform
Ask
Many of the improvements we build come directly from customer feedback.
If you've been using Vala recently, we'd love to hear what's working, what's frustrating, and what you'd like to see next. Whether it's forms, document management, workflows, AI outputs, or something entirely different, your feedback helps shape our roadmap.
You can reply directly to this email or reach out through the platform. If you'll be attending NASDVA next month, stop by and say hello. We'd love to hear how your team is serving veterans and learn where Vala can help.
We're always looking for ways to help you serve more veterans while spending less time on administrative work.