The VONAPP shutdown
VONAPP, the Veterans On Line Application that VA used for online benefit applications since the early 2000s, was officially retired on August 24, 2017 and taken offline shortly after. Its functions moved first to Vets.gov and eBenefits, both of which were themselves later consolidated into VA.gov, where all online applications live today.
What changed
VONAPP, short for Veterans On Line Application, was VA's first generation system for submitting benefit applications over the internet, covering disability compensation, pension, and education benefits. It ran as a standalone application separate from VA's other portals.
VA officially retired VONAPP on August 24, 2017 and shut the site down in the following weeks. Applications moved to guided online forms on Vets.gov and eBenefits. Both of those successors were later consolidated as well: Vets.gov became the rebuilt VA.gov in November 2018, and eBenefits was retired by March 31, 2022. The end state is that every application VONAPP once handled is now filed through VA.gov.
When it happened
- 2017-08-24VA officially retires VONAPP and directs applicants to Vets.gov and eBenefits.
- 2017-09-27The VONAPP website is no longer in operation.
- 2018-11-01Vets.gov and its guided applications are folded into the rebuilt VA.gov.
- 2022-03-31eBenefits, the other VONAPP successor, is retired. VA.gov becomes the single online application channel.
Why it changed
VONAPP was built on aging technology that predated modern identity verification and could not prefill applications with information VA already held. The guided forms that replaced it validate answers as the applicant types, save progress automatically, and submit directly into VA's electronic claims processing systems, which reduced both applicant errors and processing delays.
What replaced it
Who is affected
- Anyone following instructions, printed guides, or older web pages that mention VONAPP by name.
- Organizations whose intake checklists still tell veterans to file through VONAPP or through the eBenefits successor that replaced it, since both are gone.
Practical implications
- Any reference to VONAPP is at least two generations out of date. Instructions that mention it usually predate the Appeals Modernization Act as well and should be reviewed in full, not just link swapped.
- The current authoritative starting point for every online application is VA.gov, signed in with a verified Login.gov or ID.me account.
Official sources
Historical record
Revision history
- 2026-08-02 Published. Every linked source verified against the live page on this date.
This is a maintained reference with a permanent URL. When VA changes something documented here, the entry is updated and the revision history records it.