Release history

Release Log

See what improved on the website and in the VA Companion Desktop Application. Website updates are live right away; desktop app updates are offered only when a new installer is ready.

Website 1.01.53 Desktop 1.01.18 Member download ready Free member license
Desktop app 1.01.18

Members can download the desktop app from the product page and check for updates inside License & Updates. New installers are published only when a desktop build is ready.

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Change tracks

See what changed and whether you need to update.

Website improvements are available immediately. Desktop app notes explain what changed, and the app offers an update only when a new installer version is published.

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Website

VACompanion.us 1.01.53

Pacific-time reporting windows, custom traffic ranges, and polished logo-branded report output.

Traffic report date windows and Pacific-time polish

  • Added analytics and traffic-report windows for last 24 hours, last 7 days, last 30 days, last 180 days, and custom date ranges.
  • Changed custom report ranges to use Pacific Time calendar days while keeping database timestamps stored in UTC.
  • Updated the printable traffic report header with the VA Companion logo for a more polished board, grant, and outreach packet.
  • Changed visible report timestamps to Pacific Time so California admins do not see the next UTC day as today's date.
  • Corrected the website release-log dates affected by UTC/Pacific rollover.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website reporting polish.

Traffic reporting and visitor-area analytics

  • Added local DB-IP Lite visitor-area resolution for public analytics without sending visitor IP addresses to a third-party lookup API.
  • Added a compact GeoIP visitor cache so VA Companion stores only observed visitor lookups instead of importing a large global IP-range table into SQL.
  • Added an hourly server task to refresh visitor-area cache rows and backfill recent unresolved analytics events.
  • Added a private admin Traffic Report that summarizes events, sessions, visitors, locations, referrers, device mix, tool usage, and daily activity.
  • Kept the report privacy-safe for grant and outreach use by excluding raw IP addresses, visitor fingerprints, member names, VA.gov records, claim details, medical details, and typed form text.
  • Added DB-IP attribution in the private analytics area and report.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website analytics release.

Contact support and admin-only IP safety update

  • Added a direct Email Support button on the public Support page.
  • Added a clear Contact VA Companion card with admin@vacompanion.us for non-registered visitors.
  • Added raw IP capture to VA Companion usage analytics for administrator-only review.
  • Stored IP address, hashed fingerprint, and browser metadata on new chat-room threads and replies for moderation and credible safety response.
  • Kept public forum responses free of IP fields; protected details are returned only through admin moderation and analytics endpoints.
  • Updated the privacy page to explain IP safety logs and emergency moderation use.
  • Verified analytics write/read, public forum read, admin analytics read, privacy page availability, and public forum leak check.

Medical provider result copy and paging polish

  • Removed internal wording from provider result status copy so visitors see clear result counts, verification guidance, and View More actions.
  • Hid the provider mode guidance after results load so the result toolbar no longer crowds nearby text.
  • Shortened CHAMPVA and TRICARE provider card notes to focus on what users should do before scheduling care.
  • Confirmed the first 25 results load with a View More path to 50, then 75, then 100 results.
  • Ran a controlled concurrent-read check against provider searches; 16 simultaneous read requests returned HTTP 200 responses and provider result arrays.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website polish.

Medical provider specialty search performance fix

  • Optimized the provider lookup path used when a visitor chooses a specialty such as Obstetrics.
  • Added VA Companion SQL indexes for state, category, and specialty provider searches.
  • Added friendly specialty mapping for terms such as Cardiology and Psychiatry when source data uses different labels or care categories.
  • Stopped live external provider seeding from blocking specialty searches; specialty searches now return from VA Companion SQL data first.
  • Kept searches limited to fast first-page results so users get usable provider leads quickly.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website fix.

TRICARE source and provider directory polish

  • Added official TRICARE verification paths for Find a Doctor, all provider directories, East Region, West Region, overseas, pharmacy, dental, and Medicare/TRICARE For Life planning.
  • Added those official source records to the VA Companion source tracker for admin review and future maintenance.
  • Updated the official handoff allow-list so TRICARE, Medicare, pharmacy, dental, and milConnect links open cleanly through the VA Companion handoff page.
  • Kept TRICARE provider search positioned as VA Companion provider leads plus official verification before care.
  • Confirmed homepage directory metrics use spacing between counts and labels.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website release.

Enterprise phone experience polish

  • Hardened the mobile layout so the main content stays inside the phone viewport without clipped copy or oversized panels.
  • Converted phone hero actions and product-page actions into a clean single-column stack.
  • Reduced decorative guide-page bulk so CHAMPVA, TRICARE, desktop, and release pages reach useful content faster.
  • Validated key mobile pages at phone width with no horizontal page overflow.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website polish release.

Enterprise mobile and navigation polish

  • Widened phone layouts so forms, guide pages, and tool panels use the available screen more effectively.
  • Tightened the mobile shortcut rail and removed small group labels that took space away from the user task.
  • Improved in-page scroll targeting so buttons land below the sticky header and mobile shortcut rail.
  • Kept the desktop header on one clean row at standard desktop widths.
  • Cleaned up remaining product copy that sounded like internal notes.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website polish release.

Navigation and search polish

  • Improved in-page navigation so tool buttons land on the intended workspace more reliably.
  • Fixed mobile wrapping for guidance text and status notes in dense tool panels.
  • Standardized Death & Burial Benefits labels for funeral homes, cemeteries, and military funeral honors coordinators.
  • Clarified VSO data-quality and duplicate-review language in the admin workspace.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website polish release.

Member workspace polish

  • Cleaned up the signed-in member account workspace.
  • Expanded the desktop download card so release notes no longer squeeze into a narrow column.
  • Changed the desktop release summary into readable bullet points.
  • Updated cache tokens so browsers receive the current layout immediately.
  • No desktop installer was published with this website polish release.
Desktop App

VA Companion Desktop Application 1.01.18

Desktop workspace parity for search, funeral honors, death and burial benefits, and VA News.

VA.gov account detection and closed-claim hotfix

  • Improves signed-in VA.gov account detection when the user endpoint is unavailable in the secure browser session.
  • Uses a privacy-safe local account fingerprint from readable claim, rating, letter, or related VA.gov payloads.
  • Keeps closed or decided claims showing as closed/complete instead of falling back to claim step 1.
  • Keeps the member-only update flow and privacy boundary unchanged.

Release access

Release notes are public. Downloads stay member-only.

This page shows website and desktop app progress. Installer downloads stay behind member sign-in, and desktop update prompts appear only when a new installer version is ready.

Website updates

Published website changes appear here so members can see what improved.

Desktop app

Desktop app notes explain improvements while update prompts stay tied to the current installer.

Member downloads

Signed-in members download the current installer from the Desktop App page.

Update prompts

The desktop app offers an update only when a new installer version is published.