VA Lighthouse

aid: va-gov
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/va-gov/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
apis:
- aid: va-gov:va-facilities-api
  name: VA Facilities API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Healthcare
  - Facilities
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Geospatial
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-facilities/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/va_facilities/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-facilities/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/facilities/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-facilities-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-facilities-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-facilities/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Look up information on more than 2,000 VA facilities — VA health facilities, benefits offices, cemeteries,
    Vet Centers — including addresses, geographic coordinates, hours, services offered, mobile/non-mobile status, satisfaction
    scores, and wait times. Open data API; no authentication required for v1.
- aid: va-gov:va-forms-api
  name: VA Forms API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Forms
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Documents
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-forms/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/va_forms/v0
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-forms/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/forms/v0/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-forms-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-forms/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Search and retrieve the latest VA form information, including PDF URLs, revision dates, related forms,
    and benefit categories for every VA form. Backed by VA Forms data so consumers can keep their integrations aligned
    with the current canonical PDFs.
- aid: va-gov:benefits-claims-api
  name: Benefits Claims API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Benefits
  - Claims
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-claims/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/claims/v2
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-claims/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/benefits-claims/v2/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-benefits-claims-v2-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-benefits-claims-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-claims/authorization-code
    type: Authentication
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-claims/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Lets Veterans, accredited representatives, and approved third-party consumers find existing benefits
    claims, submit Intent to File and 526EZ forms, upload supporting documentation, and check claim status for
    compensation, pension, education, and other VA benefits programs. Supports both authorization code and client
    credentials OAuth flows.
- aid: va-gov:benefits-intake-api
  name: Benefits Intake API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Benefits
  - Documents
  - Uploads
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-intake/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/vba_documents/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-intake/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/benefits-intake/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-benefits-intake-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-intake/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Provides a third-party submission path for veteran-facing PDF benefits forms with supporting documentation
    directly into VA's Centralized Mail Portal (CMP). Supports the same 4142, 686C, 526EZ, and dozens of other VA
    benefit forms — replacing the former eBenefits paper-equivalent upload flow.
- aid: va-gov:benefits-documents-api
  name: Benefits Documents API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Benefits
  - Documents
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-documents/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/benefits-documents/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-documents/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/benefits-documents/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-benefits-documents-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-documents/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-documents/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Upload supporting documents (PDF, JPG, PNG, TXT, BMP, TIFF) for a given Veteran's benefits claim
    directly into VBMS for adjudicators. Client credentials OAuth flow only.
- aid: va-gov:benefits-reference-data-api
  name: Benefits Reference Data API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Benefits
  - Reference Data
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-reference-data/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/benefits-reference-data/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-reference-data/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/benefits-reference-data/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-benefits-reference-data-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/benefits-reference-data/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Authoritative reference values consumed across the VBA stack — contention classifications, disabilities,
    intake sites, special issues, treatment centers, and country/state codes. Used by claim-establishment and
    form-submission integrations to validate enumerated values.
- aid: va-gov:appeals-status-api
  name: Appeals Status API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Appeals
  - Status
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/appeals-status/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/appeals/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/appeals-status/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/appeals-status/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-appeals-status-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-appeals-status-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/appeals-status/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Returns the status of any benefits appeal — Higher-Level Reviews, Supplemental Claims, and Board Appeals
    under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) — including the docket position, alerts, and event history for a Veteran.
- aid: va-gov:appealable-issues-api
  name: Appealable Issues API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Appeals
  - Decision Reviews
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/appealable-issues/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/appeals/appealable-issues/v0
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/appealable-issues/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/appealable-issues/v0/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-appealable-issues-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/appealable-issues/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Lists the issues a Veteran could appeal for a given benefit type (compensation, pension, etc.).
    Drives the issue-picker on VA.gov decision review forms — Notice of Disagreement (NOD), Higher-Level Review
    (HLR), and Supplemental Claim (SC).
- aid: va-gov:legacy-appeals-api
  name: Legacy Appeals API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Appeals
  - Legacy
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/legacy-appeals/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/appeals/legacy-appeals/v0
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/legacy-appeals/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/legacy-appeals/v0/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-legacy-appeals-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/legacy-appeals/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Returns pre-AMA legacy appeals (filed before Feb 19, 2019) on a Veteran's record. Used in tandem with
    Appealable Issues to determine whether the Veteran must opt-in to AMA before requesting a decision review.
- aid: va-gov:decision-reviews-api
  name: Decision Reviews API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Appeals
  - Decision Reviews
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/decision-reviews/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/appeals/v2
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/decision-reviews/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/decision-reviews/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Composite of the three AMA decision-review filing endpoints — Higher-Level Review (HLR), Supplemental
    Claim (SC), and Notice of Disagreement (Board Appeal / NOD) — for submitting and tracking decision reviews under
    the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act.
- aid: va-gov:patient-health-api
  name: Patient Health API (FHIR)
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Healthcare
  - FHIR
  - SMART on FHIR
  - HL7
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/patient-health/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/fhir/v0/r4
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/patient-health/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/services/fhir/v0/r4/metadata
    type: OpenAPI
    name: FHIR R4 CapabilityStatement
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/patient-health/authorization-code
    type: Authentication
  description: Patient-context Veteran health record access conformant to HL7 FHIR R4 and SMART-on-FHIR — AllergyIntolerance,
    Appointment, Condition, DiagnosticReport, Encounter, Immunization, Medication, MedicationRequest, Observation,
    Patient, Procedure, and more, plus US Core profiles. Authorization code (Veteran consent) and client credentials
    flows.
- aid: va-gov:clinical-health-api
  name: Clinical Health API (FHIR)
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Healthcare
  - FHIR
  - Clinical
  - HL7
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/clinical-health/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/fhir/v0/r4
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/clinical-health/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/services/fhir/v0/r4/metadata
    type: OpenAPI
    name: FHIR R4 CapabilityStatement
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/clinical-health/authorization-code
    type: Authentication
  description: Provider-facing FHIR R4 read access to Veteran clinical records (Patient, Practitioner, Organization,
    Location, and related resources). Same SMART-on-FHIR authorization model as Patient Health but scoped for clinical
    decision support and care-coordination apps.
- aid: va-gov:community-care-eligibility-api
  name: Community Care Eligibility API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Healthcare
  - Eligibility
  - Community Care
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/community-care-eligibility/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/community-care/v0
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/community-care-eligibility/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/community-care-eligibility/v0/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-community-care-eligibility-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/community-care-eligibility/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Determines whether a Veteran is eligible to receive care from a community (non-VA) provider under the
    VA MISSION Act of 2018. Returns eligibility decisions for the six community care criteria — distance, wait time,
    grandfathered status, hardship, no-full-service VA, and best medical interest.
- aid: va-gov:veteran-verification-api
  name: Veteran Verification API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Identity
  - Verification
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/veteran-service-history-and-eligibility/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/veteran_verification/v2
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/veteran-service-history-and-eligibility/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/veteran-verification/v2/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-veteran-verification-v2-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-veteran-verification-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-veteran-verification-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  description: Confirms a Veteran's service history, disability rating, and military service eligibility for benefits.
    Provides the data behind employer/lender/retailer Veteran-discount verification flows and downstream eligibility
    integrations.
- aid: va-gov:veteran-confirmation-api
  name: Veteran Confirmation API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Identity
  - Verification
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/veteran-confirmation/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/veteran_confirmation/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/veteran-confirmation/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/veteran-confirmation/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-veteran-confirmation-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-veteran-confirmation-v0-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/veteran-confirmation/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Confirms Veteran status without revealing PII. Send a Veteran's name, date of birth, SSN, and gender;
    receive a simple confirmed/not_confirmed response. Powers Veteran-discount and Veteran-status checks for retail
    and SaaS integrators.
- aid: va-gov:address-validation-api
  name: Address Validation API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Address
  - Validation
  - Geocoding
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/address-validation/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/address_validation/v3
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/address-validation/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/address-validation/v3/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-address-validation-v3-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  description: Validates and standardizes addresses against the USPS and VA address-canonicalization stack, returning
    geocoded coordinates and confidence scores. Used across VBA, VHA, and VA.gov to keep Veteran addresses correct
    before mailing benefit decisions or scheduling care.
- aid: va-gov:direct-deposit-management-api
  name: Direct Deposit Management API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Banking
  - Direct Deposit
  - Payments
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/direct-deposit-management/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/direct-deposit-management/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/direct-deposit-management/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/direct-deposit-management/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-direct-deposit-management-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/direct-deposit-management/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  description: Retrieve and update a Veteran's compensation, pension, and education benefit direct deposit information
    — routing number, account number, account type, and payment status. Client credentials only.
- aid: va-gov:va-letter-generator-api
  name: VA Letter Generator API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Letters
  - Documents
  - Benefits
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-letter-generator/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/va-letter-generator/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-letter-generator/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/va-letter-generator/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-va-letter-generator-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/va-letter-generator/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  description: Generate official VA benefit letters (Benefit Summary, Service Verification, Civil Service Preference,
    Commissary, Proof of Service, etc.) on demand as PDFs — used by lenders, employers, and Veteran-service organizations
    that need authoritative VA documentation.
- aid: va-gov:education-benefits-api
  name: Education Benefits API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Education
  - GI Bill
  - Benefits
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/education-benefits/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/education/v0
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/education-benefits/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/education-benefits/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/education-benefits/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: School Certifying Officials (SCOs) and education benefit administrators read and submit GI Bill / Post-9/11
    education benefit enrollment data — VA Form 22-1999 enrollment certifications — on behalf of enrolled student
    Veterans.
- aid: va-gov:loan-guaranty-api
  name: Loan Guaranty API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Home Loans
  - Mortgages
  - Loan Guaranty
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/loan-guaranty/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/loan-guaranty/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/loan-guaranty/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/loan-guaranty/release-notes
    type: ChangeLog
  description: Provides lenders and servicers the digital surface for the VA Home Loan Guaranty program — eligibility,
    appraisals, loan setup, and certificate-of-eligibility (COE) operations. Companion APIs handle Loan Review, Guaranty
    Remittance, and Health-Care-Costs Coverage.
- aid: va-gov:loan-review-api
  name: Loan Review API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Home Loans
  - Loan Guaranty
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/loan-review/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/loan-review/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/loan-review/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://api.va.gov/internal/docs/loan-review/v1/openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: openapi/va-gov-loan-review-v1-openapi.json
    type: OpenAPI
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/loan-review/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  description: Submits Loan Review file packages — Substantially Complete Real Estate (SCRE) appraisal and Substitution
    of Entitlement (SOE) — to VA's Loan Guaranty Service. Used by VA-approved automatic-authority lenders for prior-approval
    review.
- aid: va-gov:guaranty-remittance-api
  name: Guaranty Remittance API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Home Loans
  - Loan Guaranty
  - Payments
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/guaranty-remittance/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/guaranty-remittance/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/guaranty-remittance/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/guaranty-remittance/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  description: Lets VA Loan Guaranty servicers remit funding-fee, late, and other Loan Guaranty payments to VA electronically
    instead of through legacy paper-based remittance. Client credentials only; sandbox available.
- aid: va-gov:health-care-costs-coverage-api
  name: Health Care Costs Coverage API
  tags:
  - Government
  - Veterans Affairs
  - Healthcare
  - Insurance
  - Coverage
  humanURL: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/health-care-costs-coverage/docs
  baseURL: https://api.va.gov/services/health-care-costs-coverage/v1
  properties:
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/health-care-costs-coverage/docs
    type: Documentation
  - url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/health-care-costs-coverage/client-credentials
    type: Authentication
  description: Insurance-coordination API for VA's Consolidated Patient Account Center (CPAC) — submit and update
    third-party health insurance coverage on a Veteran's record so VA can correctly bill private insurers for non-service-connected
    care. Client credentials only; sandbox available.
name: VA Lighthouse
tags:
- Government
- Veterans Affairs
- Veterans
- Healthcare
- Benefits
- FHIR
- Open Data
- Federal
kind: contract
image: https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
access: 3rd-Party
common:
- type: Portal
  url: https://developer.va.gov
  name: VA API Platform (Lighthouse)
- type: Portal
  url: https://api.va.gov
  name: api.va.gov
- type: Documentation
  url: https://developer.va.gov/explore
  name: Explore VA APIs
- type: GettingStarted
  url: https://developer.va.gov/onboarding
- type: SignUp
  url: https://developer.va.gov/onboarding/request-sandbox-access
  name: Request Sandbox Access
- type: Authentication
  url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/authorization-code
  name: Authorization Code Grant (OAuth)
- type: Authentication
  url: https://developer.va.gov/explore/api/client-credentials
  name: Client Credentials Grant (OAuth)
- type: Documentation
  url: https://developer.va.gov/onboarding/request-production-access
  name: Path to Production
- type: Documentation
  url: https://developer.va.gov/api-publishing
  name: API Publishing (for VA teams)
- type: Support
  url: https://developer.va.gov/support
  name: Developer Support
- type: ContactEmail
  url: mailto:[email protected]
  name: API Support — [email protected]
- type: StatusPage
  url: https://valighthouse.statuspage.io/
  name: VA Lighthouse Status
- type: TermsOfService
  url: https://developer.va.gov/terms-of-service
- type: PrivacyPolicy
  url: https://www.va.gov/privacy-policy/
- type: Documentation
  url: https://www.va.gov/accessibility/
  name: VA Accessibility Statement
- type: Blog
  url: https://news.va.gov/
  name: VA News
- type: GitHubOrganization
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs
  name: Department of Veterans Affairs on GitHub
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/vets-api
  name: vets-api (Ruby) — VA.gov backend powering many Lighthouse endpoints
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/vets-website
  name: vets-website — VA.gov frontend
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/vets-api-clients
  name: vets-api-clients — Reference implementations and sample apps
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/lighthouse-fhir-apis-consumer-docs
  name: Lighthouse FHIR APIs Consumer Docs
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/health-apis-bulk-fhir
  name: health-apis-bulk-fhir
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/health-apis-clinical-fhir
  name: health-apis-clinical-fhir
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/lighthouse-oas-tests
  name: lighthouse-oas-tests — OAS conformance and contract testing
- type: SourceCode
  url: https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/VHA-Facilities
  name: VHA Facilities reference data
- type: Documentation
  url: https://developer.va.gov/api-publishing/getting-started
  name: API Publishing — Getting Started (internal API teams)
- type: Documentation
  url: https://developer.va.gov/onboarding/working-with-lighthouse-apis
  name: Working with Lighthouse APIs
- type: Sandbox
  url: https://sandbox-api.va.gov
  name: Lighthouse Sandbox (sandbox-api.va.gov)
- type: Authentication
  url: https://api.va.gov/oauth2/authorization
  name: OAuth2 Authorize endpoint
- type: Authentication
  url: https://api.va.gov/oauth2/token
  name: OAuth2 Token endpoint
- type: Authentication
  url: https://api.va.gov/oauth2/revoke
  name: OAuth2 Revoke endpoint
- type: Documentation
  url: http://docs.smarthealthit.org/
  name: SMART-on-FHIR (used by Patient Health and Clinical Health APIs)
- type: Documentation
  url: https://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/
  name: HL7 FHIR US Core profiles
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-veteransaffairs/
  name: VA on LinkedIn
- type: TermsOfService
  url: https://www.va.gov/policy-and-compliance/notice-of-privacy-practices/
  name: Notice of Privacy Practices
- type: Features
  data:
  - 22+ Lighthouse APIs spanning Benefits, Health, Facilities, Verification, Forms, Appeals, and Loan Guaranty
  - HL7 FHIR R4 + US Core conformant Patient Health and Clinical Health APIs with SMART-on-FHIR launch
  - OAuth 2.0 with both Authorization Code (Veteran consent) and Client Credentials (system) flows
  - Full sandbox at sandbox-api.va.gov with documented synthetic Veteran test accounts (vets-api-clients/test_accounts)
  - Open-data facilities, forms, and reference-data APIs (no auth required for read endpoints)
  - VA address canonicalization and geocoding via Address Validation API v3
  - Direct integration with VBMS (Benefits Documents) and Centralized Mail Portal (Benefits Intake) for claims documentation
  - AMA-era decision review filing — HLR, SC, Notice of Disagreement — plus legacy appeal status
  - Programmatic VA letter generation (Benefit Summary, Service Verification, COE, etc.) as on-demand PDFs
  - VA Home Loan Guaranty digital surface — Loan Guaranty, Loan Review, Guaranty Remittance, Health-Care-Costs Coverage
  - Veteran Confirmation and Veteran Verification APIs for retail/lender Veteran-status checks
  - GI Bill / Post-9/11 education benefit submission for School Certifying Officials
  - Path-to-Production process documented in developer-portal-backend / Path-to-Production.md
  - Lighthouse OAS contract testing via the public lighthouse-oas-tests repository
  - Public reference implementations and sample apps in vets-api-clients (Ruby, Node, samples)
  - vets-api (Ruby/Rails) — primary open-source backend powering VA.gov and many Lighthouse endpoints
  - vets-website — public open-source frontend for VA.gov
  - FHIR Bulk Data (Flat FHIR) endpoints via health-apis-bulk-fhir
  - StatusPage at valighthouse.statuspage.io
  - VA Lighthouse OAuth flow supports PKCE and SMART-on-FHIR scopes (patient/*, user/*, system/*)
  - Free at point of use for accredited consumers — no per-call pricing for approved third parties
  sources:
  - https://developer.va.gov
  - https://developer.va.gov/explore
  - https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs
  - https://api.va.gov/services/fhir/v0/r4/metadata
  - https://developer.va.gov/onboarding
  - https://developer.va.gov/sitemap.xml
  updated: '2026-05-25'
created: '2026-05-25T00:00:00.000Z'
modified: '2026-05-25'
position: Providing
description: VA Lighthouse is the US Department of Veterans Affairs' developer API platform. Published at
  developer.va.gov with production endpoints at api.va.gov, Lighthouse exposes 22+ APIs covering Benefits (claims,
  documents, reference data, intake), Health (HL7 FHIR R4 Patient Health and Clinical Health, Community Care
  Eligibility), Facilities, Forms, Veteran Verification and Confirmation, Appeals and Decision Reviews under the
  Appeals Modernization Act (AMA), Address Validation, Direct Deposit Management, VA Letter Generation, Education
  Benefits, and the full VA Home Loan Guaranty stack (Loan Guaranty, Loan Review, Guaranty Remittance, Health-Care-Costs
  Coverage). All authenticated APIs use OAuth 2.0 with both Authorization Code (Veteran consent) and Client Credentials
  (system) flows; the health APIs additionally support SMART-on-FHIR. The platform is operated by the VA Office of
  the CTO with open-source backend code in github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/vets-api and reference clients
  in vets-api-clients.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: [email protected]
  X: apievangelist
  url: https://apievangelist.com
specificationVersion: '0.16'