CAIA Follow-up Task: 527EZ ITF introduction page

[echin393]

CAIA Follow-up Task Ticket

[!WARNING] Do not use this ticket unless directed to do so by the CAIA team.

Issue description

Use this ticket to request follow-up work on existing collaboration with the sitewide content, accessibility, and information architecture (CAIA) team.

About your team

• Team name: Pension Benefits
• Product name: Veteran Pension Benefits application
• Product manager: Matt Reilly
• Link to original CAIA intake related to this work: 527EZ ITF alert copy

Follow-up request

Ticket #78928 covers the content refinement for the ITF status page and its various states. The additional work needed is content refinement for on our introduction page, specifically the larger CTA alert that describes the benefits of intent to file.

Link to Figma

Will you release this new product incrementally (for example, release to 25% of users to start)?

• [ ] Yes
• [x] No

Note If you checked yes: Incremental launches require dynamic content. You'll need to ask your developer to build a React widget and provide CAIA with the ID code. CAIA will provide widget content and add the widget to your product’s static page. Please refer to this GitHub page for more information.

• [x] I acknowledge that if I change the launch to be incremental, or change it from incremental to 100%, I must notify CAIA of this change as these additional steps will impact deadlines.

### Tasks
- [ ] https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/issues/88267

[katherine-fung]

Hi @echin393!

This request is for a "CTA alert on the introduction page, when a user is authenticated," which "[introduces] the benefits of intent to file."

• To clarify, will this CTA alert on the intro page only appear for authenticated users who haven't started their pension application yet, and don't have an ITF date yet?

• Is the alert on this Figma screen the content I should review? https://www.figma.com/design/9JKK5Eo43uJWEr66JPiebc/Pension-Claim-Form-21P-527EZ?node-id=5807-7509&t=R40pn3czG8QURtts-0

• For context, is the sign-in widget copy on this Figma screen finalized? If so, I'll want to make the alert copy consistent with this (one says we'll "save" an ITF date, the other says we'll "reserve" an ITF date)

• The instructions for CAIA in Figma say, "Introduce the benefits of intent to file. The earlier a Veteran starts their application, the more backpay they may be eligible to receive." Can you clarify this? My understanding is that if a Veteran has an intent to file and their application gets approved, they'll receive extra payments for the time between their intent to file date and when their application gets approved.

But does it matter if they start their application today or 2 months later? If the approval process takes (for example) 9 months in both cases, won't they get 9 months of retroactive payments in both cases? In other words, what is the benefit to Veterans if they start their application earlier?

cc @aprocik1 @strelichl @laurwill

[echin393]

Hey @katherine-fung , while the team is revisiting the scope of which messaging units we'd like to test, I can answer a couple of your questions for context.

• The sign-in widget copy is not final and is a draft from: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/content/content-patterns-and-standards/sign-in-alerts.md
• With the 526 form for example, a Veteran establishes their effective date for benefits (or ITF date) from the day they start their disability application.
  • This means that if a Veteran starts their application in today, submits it in September, and the approval process takes 9 months, then the Veteran will receive retroactive payments from the date in July 2024. (12 months of retroactive payment)
  • If a Veteran starts and submits their application in September, and the approval process takes 9 months, then they will only receive retroactive payments from September (9 months of retroactive payment).

Let me know where I can clarify that more!

[strelichl]

Noting the Pension team is still refining their research plan, so we’re holding off on a kickoff for the time being.