Order calls on U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense to work together to ensure servicemembers’ Military Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records are shared with VA from day they join military.
President Donald J. Trump on Sept. 8 signed an executive order that will reduce by weeks the average time it takes veterans to secure U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
The order, “Accelerating Access to Veterans’ Benefits and Employment Opportunities,” calls on VA and the U.S. Department of Defense to work together to ensure that servicemembers’ Military Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records are shared with VA from the day they join the military.
Immediate VA access to these records is critical to enabling veterans to quickly access the VA benefits they’ve earned when they leave military service, such as healthcare, disability compensation, GI Bill and home loan benefits.
Since 2025, VA has already reduced the average time it takes to process disability benefits claims by 46%, from 141.5 days to 76.1 days. Sharing of military records between DoD and VA could reduce processing times for recently separated servicemembers by another 20 to 30 days on average.
President Trump’s order calls on VA and DoD to update all related information technology systems to allow this information sharing to take place, leverage artificial intelligence to make the benefits process more convenient for veterans, and adjust all related technology contacts to ensure the goals of the order are met.
Additionally, it calls on VA and the U.S. Department of Labor to work with DoD as it updates the Transition Assistance Program and other programs aimed at helping veterans quickly find jobs after they leave the military.
“This executive order will make it faster and more convenient for veterans to get the benefits they’ve earned,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Giving VA continuous access to warfighters’ military records will eliminate weeks of waiting for veterans applying for VA healthcare and financial benefits. We want to make the transition from military to veteran status as seamless as possible.”
- Veterans Benefits