Trump Order Aims to Speed Veterans’ Benefits Through DOW-VA Data Sharing

A new White House executive order aims to reduce veterans’ wait times for benefits by requiring the Departments of Veterans Affairs and War to improve how they share service members’ personnel and medical records.

Signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the “Accelerating Access to Veterans’ Benefits and Employment Opportunities” executive order calls on the departments to establish ongoing sharing of Official Military Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records, beginning when an individual enters military service and continuing as long as the individual requires VA benefits.

“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 in a statement.

Speeding Access to Benefits

The executive order gives DOW and VA 30 days to ensure personnel and health records are shared with VA immediately when a service member is discharged or released from the military. The administration said improving access to these records will help accelerate veterans’ access to benefits earned through military service, including healthcare, disability compensation, education and home loan benefits.

“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,” Collins said.

VA officials said the department has already cut processing times for disability benefits claims by 46%, from 141.5 days to 76.1 days. Sharing military records between VA and DOW could reduce processing times for recently discharged service members by an additional 20 to 30 days on average, according to the department.

The White House said existing records transfers can take an average of 90 to 180 days, potentially delaying healthcare coverage, benefits processing, education opportunities and job training and placement.

Establishing a Framework and Policies

The executive order also directs VA and DOW to modernize the technology and policies supporting records sharing.

Within 180 days, the departments must establish updated IT systems, policies and guidance to enable the “permanent, prospective, and ongoing sharing” of Official Military Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records from the time an individual enters military service through the period in which they require VA benefits.

The order also gives VA and DOW 120 days to review and, where appropriate, modify existing IT and software contracts to require interoperability among relevant military personnel and health records systems. Future contracts for medical and personnel IT systems must also include interoperability requirements.

Additionally, the order directs the departments to develop and deploy AI and other emerging technologies within 180 days to streamline veterans’ applications and access to benefits through a comprehensive digital source that also incorporates Department of Labor job training and employment opportunities.

Building on Existing Progress

The improvements mandated in the executive order also build on exiting work by VA to improve benefits claims processing times.

VA officials recently highlighted how significant upgrades to the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) dramatically reduced claims backlogs. The modernization effort used AI and other technologies to speed claims processing and improve accuracy. This work helped reduce claims backlogs while improving veterans’ experience, officials said.