# The Leading Evaluations to Advance VA's Response to National Priorities (LEARN) Evidence-Based Policy Evaluation Center

> **NIH VA I50** · VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2022 · —

## Abstract

Background and Priority Topics: Rigorous evaluation is foundational for evidence-based policymaking,
which optimizes value and operational efficiencies. We propose to establish the Leading Evaluations
to Advance VA’s Response to National Priorities (LEARN) Evidence-Based Policy Evaluation Center, which
will partner with VA leaders to design and conduct rigorous and responsive evaluations, and disseminate
evaluation findings, to influence continual improvements in VA policies and programs. LEARN will conduct and
build VA’s capacity to perform evaluations aligned with six VA priorities: women’s health initiatives;
effectiveness and implementation of programs to eliminate homelessness among Veterans; strategies to
address Veteran health disparities and social determinants of health; reducing burnout and improving
experience and outcomes among VA employees and trainees; Veteran experience and quality of virtual care
options; and electronic health record modernization.
Specific Aims: LEARN will: (1) design evaluation plans that respond to priorities of senior VA leadership and
other United States executive and legislative leaders, in partnership with VA program offices and the VA
Partnered Evidence-based Policy Resource Center; (2) conduct timely and rigorous evaluations of VA policies
and programs, in partnership with program partners and policymakers, to fulfill core requirements of the
Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act of 2018; (3) support continual improvements in VA policies
and programs through dissemination of evaluation results and evidence-based recommendations to internal
and external stakeholders; and (4) expand capacity and expertise among VA investigators, staff, and academic
collaborators to design and conduct evaluations of VA policies and programs, with attention to supporting early
career investigators and expanding investigator diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Methods: To conduct high-impact evaluations, LEARN will draw upon a broad network of 59 investigators who
are topic and methods experts within VA and LEARN’s academic affiliates. LEARN will also build on over 30
years of partnered evaluation expertise, with over 20 national program offices, in its home at the Center for
Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy (CSHIIP). Guided by the Learning Healthcare System
framework and the QUERI Roadmap, LEARN will conduct partnered, theory-based evaluations, using VA’s
robust health data infrastructure, rapid qualitative analyses, and mixed-method approaches, that assess the
implementation, effectiveness, efficiency, and overall impacts (e.g., magnitude and scope of intended and
unintended consequences) of VA policies and programs. Consistent with VA’s Strategic Plan, LEARN will
assess the extent to which policies or programs advance VA’s goals of improving Veteran access, choice,
customer service, trust, outcomes, and health equity, while optimizing care quality, operational efficiencies and
promoting provider wel...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10536561
- **Project number:** 1I50HX003629-01
- **Recipient organization:** VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristina Marie Cordasco
- **Activity code:** I50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10536561

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10536561, The Leading Evaluations to Advance VA's Response to National Priorities (LEARN) Evidence-Based Policy Evaluation Center (1I50HX003629-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-30 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10536561. Licensed CC0.

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