President signs executive order for faster delivery of VA benefits

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Department to make the technological changes needed to speed up veterans’ access to their benefits upon leaving military service.

The order seeks to streamline the eligibility process for veterans to obtain earned government benefits by requiring that military health and personnel records are shared immediately with the VA when a new service member enters the armed forces.

“Prompt sharing” of military personnel and medical records should occur “from the moment an individual enters into military service until such time as he or she no longer requires benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs,” according to the order.

Currently, the transfer of military records from the Defense Department to the VA averages three to six months after a service member is discharged, according to a FAQ sheet on the executive order.

This delay impedes access to health coverage and disability compensation because a service member’s military and health records are required to determine VA benefits after discharge.

“Giving VA continuous access to warfighters’ military records will eliminate weeks of waiting for veterans applying for VA health care and financial benefits,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a written statement.

Titled “Accelerating Access to Veterans’ Benefits and Employment Opportunities,” the order directs the VA and Defense Department to update technology systems to allow information sharing to take place earlier and to use AI tools to make the benefits process more efficient.

“Outdated and unwieldy records management and data systems and procedures hinder military personnel file and medical record sharing between the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs, which complicates the effective transition of military personnel from active-duty service to civilian life,” according to the order.

The executive order details how the federal agencies should update their technology to facilitate immediate data sharing.

The DOD and the VA have 120 days to review their IT systems and software contracts, according to the order.

The order and an accompanying FAQ sheet did not identify or address new costs that might be incurred from the project.

The change is projected to reduce processing time for benefits by up to a month on average for newly separated service members, the VA said.

The VA already has decreased the average time it takes to process disability benefits claims from 141 days to 76 days, according to the agency.

In addition, the executive order instructs the VA, Labor Department and Defense Department to work together to improve the military’s mandatory transition assistance program that prepares service members for civilian life, including employment.

Collins on Tuesday pledged to make the transition from military to veteran status as seamless as possible. He also reposted a social media message from the White House about the executive order.

The White House post on X stated that “President Trump is expediting veterans’ access to benefits by removing the delays that hinder service members & vets from receiving the support they deserve.”