Your Computer and the Internet

VONAPP is designed to give Internet users secure access to our website and provide good performance. The power of your computer and the speed of your connection to the Internet will determine how fast you can work in VONAPP.

VONAPP was designed for a monitor screen resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. You may wish to use 1024 x 768 if you are able to read the text with that setting. Also, the center button of the standard Microsoft triple buttons in the far upper right of your screen (minimize, window, close), will allow better screen sizing if the center button is "double-windowed" instead of single windowed. Once you begin filling out a form, use only the back and continue buttons at the bottom of your VONAPP screen when you see them. If you cannot see these two buttons make sure your screen resolution is set for 800 x 600, your screen is "double-windowed," and you have made your screen viewing area as large as possible by hiding extra tool bars. You can also use your Alt + b keys to get to the back button and the Alt + c keys to get to the continue button. Once you are on the button which will be inside a box outlined with dotted lines, use your Enter key to activate it. Finally, if necessary, you can "pull down" the screen to try to see the buttons by holding down your left mouse key and pulling the cursor down to the bottom of the screen so the text will move up.

Browser Versions and Internet Security

VONAPP requires that you have installed on your computer one of these Internet browsers:

Any browser you use must have a high level of security called 128-bit encryption.  VONAPP will automatically use 128-bit encryption when you begin working on a form in VONAPP so you will probably not have to do anything about this. But if VONAPP tells you that you must download it, 128-bit encryption can be downloaded for free as part of your Internet browser.

Microsoft Internet Explorer link:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie

Firefox link:

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Safari link:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/

VONAPP Printing

For your records, you should print out all forms you complete and submit electronically to us through VONAPP.  You can also print empty or partially completed forms. If your printer is slow, it could take some time to print out a fully completed form.  

Before you try to print a completed form, or if you don’t have a printer, write down critical information found on the "Confirmation Page" which you will see after you submit and certify your form.  This information will have your name, date submitted, your unique confirmation number, and the VA Office that will receive your application.

You can also save your printed form to your computer’s hard drive.  After you submit the form electronically and you select the "print completed form" button, you will see the form. Next, select File, then Save options from your tool bar and save it in a file to your hard drive.  

You can print out forms you have already submitted using VONAPP.  Directly upon logging into VONAPP, submitted forms will appear on the screen under Completed Forms.    Locate the form you want to print and click the Print icon.  Forms will appear on the screen for a period of one year after being submitted in VONAPP. 

Please note,  you cannot change the information on your form once submitted.  

Public Computers

Because much of the information you put in VONAPP will be personal and private, you should not normally use public computers such as those in a library. But if you follow good computer security procedures on any computer, it is unlikely that anyone will be able to see your information.

To help ensure privacy, use a private computer and follow the VONAPP security requirements and suggestions you will find as you begin VONAPP.  If you use a public computer, follow all normal security procedures for your password, etc., and also close all VONAPP screens including pop up windows after you are done.  Then close the Internet browser and if possible, shut off the computer.

Your Internet browser should be set to accept session cookies, JavaScript, and to check for newer versions of pages at every visit to the page. If you have gotten to this point, you already have your browser set to accept session cookies and JavaScript. Checking for newer versions of pages at every visit is needed to allow VONAPP to work correctly. Different browsers and browser versions have different ways to change this setting. Your browser's help function can help you check it.

In Internet Explorer 5.50, from the toolbar, choose Tools, then Internet Options, and under Temporary Internet options, choose Settings, then select "Every visit to page", then "OK," and "OK."

Also, use Arial font to view VONAPP best. For IE 5.50, from the toolbar, choose Tools, then Internet Options, then the Fonts button at the bottom of the page. Under "Web page font," choose "Arial" then "OK" and "OK." For text size, "smaller" works best. From the toolbar, choose View, then Text Size, then smaller. 

VONAPP was designed to work with JAWS (Job Access With Speech) version 4.00, and Connect Out Loud version 1.0. Other screen readers and other versions of these programs may work but have not been tested.

VONAPP has both a graphical and text version. Screen readers should use the text version. The text version was specifically tailored to work better with screen readers. Graphical links have been retained and will be read but text links have been added for reader users. Screen reader users should disregard visual type links and use the on-page navigation and help text links which are read.

Most of the forms available in VONAPP have many screens and options on those screens because the paper forms they represent are themselves long and complicated. If you have questions about using any forms in VONAPP, you can call 1-800-827-1000 for help. Service organizations or others may be able to help. Click on the VA Partners--Service Organizations or State and County Organizations and Other Help buttons from the VONAPP Home Page. JAWS and Connect Out Loud help keys can give you more details about using these specific programs.

To e-mail us comments or suggestions, use this address for your e-mail program: VONAPP@vba.va.gov.

You should use JAWS and Connect Out Loud software options to read as many items on the screen as possible to ensure that you hear everything. As you go through the form, you should use at least two methods of having the reader read a page. For example, using JAWS, you can use the continue and back links on VONAPP pages to move from page to page. The reader then reads the new page. But to make sure that it did read the entire page, you could go to the top of the page using the Control + Home keys, then use the Insert + down arrow keys to reread the page. Also, reading the printed form or data summary pages, using the Control + Tab keys could help read the entire page. These pages can be very long especially for the VA Form 21-526, compensation and pension application, so ensure that you use whatever combination of keystrokes work in your reader program to read the entire page.

Using the tab key will take you to active fields or links which you may use as links or input fields. Use the Alt + F4 keys to close pop up windows. Most screens will have three links at the top: Contents, Navigation, and Help. Use them to jump to these main screen sections. The Alt + b keys will take you to the back link and the Alt + c keys to the continue link. Alt + a keys will take you to the add button and the Alt + d keys to the delete button on pages with these two buttons. This works in both the graphical and text-only sites. Once you are on the link or the button, you then use the Enter key to make it work.

You can get margin text for the field you are in by using Shift + F1 keys while you are in a form field and have forms mode on. An alert box with the margin help for that field will appear. Page level help is found by clicking on the third of the three links at the top of most pages: Skip to Help.

To enter text in the forms using JAWS, click on the enter key to go into forms mode in a field after hearing "edit". Also, you may have to toggle in and out of forms mode to read all the instructions. For Window Eyes and other readers, check your screen reader’s help topics for more suggestions about how to put text into forms.

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