According to veteran’s groups, an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on September 8 has provided better access to services available to veterans. The order will reduce the average time it takes for veterans to secure benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“President Trump understands the importance of putting veterans first like no other commander in chief, and this executive order will make it faster and more convenient for veterans to get the benefits they’ve earned,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said. “Giving VA continuous access to warfighters military records will eliminate weeks of waiting for veterans applying for VA healthcare and financial benefits.”
The order, Accelerating Access to Veterans’ Benefits and Employment Opportunities, calls on VA and the Department of War to work together to ensure that service members’ Military Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records are shared with VA the day they join the military. Immediate access to these records is critical in enabling VA to quickly provide the benefits veterans have earned when they leave military service, including healthcare, disability compensation, GI Bill and home loan benefits.
During the second Trump Administration, VA has already reduced the average time it takes to process disability benefits claims by 46 percent from 141.5 days to 76.1 days. Sharing of military records between DoW and VA could reduce processing times for recently separated service members by another 20 to 30 days on average.
The executive order calls on VA and DoW 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 contracts to ensure the goals of the order are met. Additionally, it falls on VA and the Department of Labor to work with DoW as it updates the Transition Assistance Program and other programs aimed at helping veterans quickly find jobs after they leave the military.
“We want to make the transition from military to veteran status as seamless as possible,” Collins said. “We look forward to working with President Trump and Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth to do just that.”
