President Trump’s executive order means faster access to VA healthcare, benefits than ever before

WASHINGTON - President Donald J. Trump today signed an executive order that will reduce by weeks the average time it takes Veterans to secure Department of Veterans Affairs 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 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.

During the second Trump Administration, 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 DoW and VA could reduce processing times for recently separated service members by another 20 to 30 days on average.

President Trump's 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 contacts to ensure the goals of the order are met.

Additionally, it calls 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.

"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."

President Trump's executive order is the latest in a long list of landmark progress his administration has made for Veterans. During his second administration, VA has:

• Enrolled more than 250,000 new Veterans in VA healthcare in 2026.
• Opened 41 new VA healthcare facilities, expanding healthcare access for Veterans around the country.
• Reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by more than 70%, after it increased 24% during the Biden Administration.
• Completed a record high 82,083,918 direct care appointments in FY 2025, up 4.1% from FY 2024.
• Completed a record high 59,989,662 community care appointments in FY 2025, up 12% from FY 2024.
• Offered Veterans more than 3.2 million appointments outside of normal operating hours, giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• Committed nearly $5 billion in the current fiscal year to repair and improve VA healthcare facilities across the country - the largest non-recurring maintenance investment in VA's history.
• Permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country in FY25, the highest total in seven years.