The Department of Veterans Affairs has enlisted the help of a prominent tech professional who has had remarkable success with his own leading-edge tech brand. Craigslist founder Craig Newmark will serve on a VA panel to review ideas to improve disability claims processing times. The panel also is looking at ways to improve transparency for vets.

It's no surprise to those who keep up with what Newmark is doing these days. He told a high-tech conference in June that he was considering whether to "dedicate a big chunk of my life" to those who are driving change in Washington.

"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."

For more on the VA:
- see this nextgov.com article

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