How to edit a VAMC "Top Task" detail page

Last updated on August 15, 2022 at 9:50 am
Learn how to edit "Top task" pages that use the VAMC Detail Page content type.
This article is for:
VAMC system

In this guide

↓ What is a "Top task"?

↓ How to find existing detail page content to edit

↓ How to edit page content

     ↓ Page title and introduction

     ↓ Table of contents

     ↓ Main content and content blocks

     ↓ Related links

     ↓ Editorial workflow

What is a "Top task"?

Based on Veteran research and feedback the new VAMC websites are focused on Veteran tasks they are looking to accomplish. For example we learned that Veterans frequently access the sites to book appointments or to refill prescriptions.

This feedback enabled us to create 9 "Top task" pages that we are working to standardize for all healthcare systems with local editors adding location specific information.

These pages include:

  • Policies
  • Register for care
  • Get medical records
  • Billing and insurance
  • Make an appointment
  • Pharmacy
  • Contact us

While some Top task pages use content types that have fixed designs, the detail page content type allowed flexibility so that we could learn how health care systems provide this information to Veterans so that we could quickly roll-out the new sites while learning what information local health care systems want or need to provide.

Warning
Top Task content will be hardened

What is "hardened"?

Most of the content in these pages is national. To ensure we create the best Veteran experience, decrease the risk of conflicting information, and lower the amount of maintenance required by local editors, we are working towards a Create-Once-Publish-Everywhere, or "COPE", content model. By "hardening" this content, we are moving the editorial control of this content to VHA Digital Media rather than local editors.

What this means for you:

Most of the content in these pages is currently locally editable, but we ask if you need to change large portions of this content that you work with us to ensure that you limit the risk to content loss as we work to harden this content.

Status

  • Policies - hardened
  • Register for care - hardened
  • Get medical records - hardened
  • Billing and insurance - hardened
  • Make an appointment - not started
  • Pharmacy - not started
  • Contact us - not started

How to find an existing VAMC detail page to edit

  1. On your homepage after logging in, find the section you want to edit under Sections and click on it.
  2. Under the filter for Content type, select VAMC Detail Page.
  3. If you know one or more words in the page title, enter it in the Title contains field.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. Under the results, find the page you’d like to edit and click Edit next to its name.
  6. Proceed to the directions for editing page content.

How to edit page content

As a content editor, you have several page elements available to work with as you build or edit a page. Learn about how to use different page elements to create effective content for site visitors.

Title and introduction

The page title and introduction is national content that will be hardened in the future. Any changes you make in this area may be discarded.

Table of contents

Please leave the table of contents enabled  on Top Task pages so that the content on the pages is easier for Veterans to navigate.

Featured content

If there is critical information that site visitors need to know up front about the subject of your page, such as eligibility requirements, use the featured content to draw their attention to it. This block is optional, and you should not use it simply to present a summary of the page. There are two format options:

  • Add Q&A - Use this to present information in a question and answer format. 
  • Add Rich text - This free form text field can be used for anything else.

Main content and content blocks

Main content is the middle part of the page that appears under the page introduction and any alerts or featured content. This is the place where as an editor, you have the most flexibility to make choices about how the content will appear to site visitors. Understanding what your options are and how to use them can help you effectively present information to Veterans and other site visitors.

Each content block contains a chunk of information that will appear on the page, and uses a particular template for how that information is presented. 

Many of the content blocks used on Top Task pages are national content. Please limit changes to this content to local information only. 

How to edit an existing content block

  1. From the Main content section, click Edit next to the content block items to expand the content and find the information you want to edit. 
  2. Click the three vertical dots to the right of the Collapse button to Remove a content block.

The related links for Top Task pages are national content. Any changes you make to related links will be discarded when the page is hardened.

Editorial workflow

Complete all parts of the Editorial workflow panel.

  1. Click Save as and select a moderation state based on your business processes.
  2. Enter a Revision log message that tells other editors what changes you made.
  3. Click Save to save your changes and unlock the edit form.

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