WASHINGTON – President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order today designed to cut weeks from the average time Veterans wait to receive Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
The executive order, “Accelerating Access to Veterans’ Benefits and Employment Opportunities,” directs VA and the Department of War to work together so that service members’ Military Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records are available to VA beginning on the day they enter military service.
Providing VA with immediate access to these records is intended to help Veterans receive the benefits they have earned more quickly after leaving the military, including healthcare, disability compensation, GI Bill education benefits and VA home loan benefits.
During the second Trump Administration, VA reports that the average processing time for disability benefit claims has fallen 46%, from 141.5 days to 76.1 days. The department estimates that improved sharing of military records between DoW and VA could reduce processing times for recently separated service members by an additional 20 to 30 days on average.
The executive order also directs VA and DoW to modernize related information technology systems to support the sharing of these records. It calls for the use of artificial intelligence to make the benefits process more convenient for Veterans and directs the departments to adjust related technology contracts as necessary to accomplish the order’s goals.
In addition, VA and the Department of Labor are directed to work with DoW as it updates the Transition Assistance Program and other programs intended to help service members find employment more quickly as they transition to Veteran status.
“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,” 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, and we look forward to working with President Trump and Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth to do just that.”
The executive order follows a series of developments the VA highlights from President Trump’s second administration. According to the department, VA has:
Enrolled more than 250,000 new Veterans in VA healthcare during 2026.
Opened 41 new VA healthcare facilities, expanding access to care for Veterans around the country.
Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by more than 70%, after the backlog increased 24% during the Biden Administration.
Completed a record 82,083,918 direct-care appointments in FY 2025, an increase of 4.1% from FY 2024.
Completed a record 59,989,662 community-care appointments in FY 2025, up 12% from FY 2024.
Offered Veterans more than 3.2 million appointments outside normal operating hours, providing additional options for timely and convenient care.
Committed nearly $5 billion during the current fiscal year to repair and improve VA healthcare facilities—the largest non-recurring maintenance investment in VA history.
Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans nationwide during FY 2025, the highest total in seven years.
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