Veterans Task Manager

Functionality & Mechanism

The Veterans Task Manager, developed with guidance from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BRRC, is a metacognitive support tool designed to reinforce executive function skills. The system facilitates the creation and management of simple or complex personal goals through a structured interface. Core functions include modules for task decomposition, time-to-completion tracking, and progress monitoring. The application leverages automated notifications as reminders, promoting translation of therapeutic strategies into independent practice in home and community settings.

Evidence & Research Context

• In a preliminary study of Veterans with mTBI/PTSD (N=14), the use of the app as a support tool for Goal Management Training (GMT) was associated with significant improvements in executive function (p<.02) and community participation (p<.01).
• A quasi-experimental study (N=15) utilized the app as one component of a multi-faceted attention training regimen combined with GMT, which resulted in significantly greater executive function gains than GMT alone (p=.01).
• The application is consistently deployed in research as an adjunct tool or "practice-buddy" to ensure therapeutic skills learned in-session are generalized to real-world executive tasks.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is designed for individuals with executive function deficits, particularly veterans with traumatic brain injuries, for use as an adjunct to formal cognitive rehabilitation. It serves to structure daily tasks and reinforce therapeutic strategies. The tool is not a standalone treatment and does not replace comprehensive clinical evaluation or therapy prescribed by a qualified provider.