The VA-PALS program was a multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians and computer scientists within and outside the VA who shared a mission to increase access to high quality lung screening programs that could save the lives of Veterans at risk for lung cancer. The program was established in 2017 through a public-private partnership that was facilitated by the Secretary’s Center for Strategic Partnership.

The lead partner for VA-PALS was the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP). I-ELCAP was the first group to establish evidence-based lung screening protocols and since the 1990’s has published nearly 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts that inform current best practices for LCS around the world. One of the resources developed in collaboration was the VAPALS-ELCAP lung cancer screening management system which is currently running at the Phoenix VA Medical Center. Funding for the VA-PALS program was obtained from the Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.

As of 2023, more than 20,000 unique Veterans have been screened for lung cancer at VA-PALS sites.