Trump Orders Faster Military Record Transfers
PHOTO CAPTION: Pvt. Kendric Smith files military medical records. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Sept. 8 directing the Pentagon and VA to speed up the transfer of service members’ personnel and medical records. (U.S. Army photo)
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs to overhaul how military personnel and medical records are shared as service members transition out of the military.
The White House says the current transfer process can take an average of 90 to 180 days, potentially slowing access to health care, disability benefits, education programs and other services veterans may need after leaving active duty.
The Sept. 8 order, titled Accelerating Access to Veterans’ Benefits and Employment Opportunities, sets several deadlines for the agencies to change that process.
Within 30 days, the Pentagon is directed to ensure that current service members' Official Military Personnel Files, health records and Service Treatment Records are shared with VA immediately when a service member is discharged or released from the armed forces.
Within 180 days, the Pentagon and VA are directed to establish systems for ongoing sharing of personnel and treatment records beginning when someone enters military service and continuing while those records are needed for VA benefits.
The order also directs the agencies to develop new digital tools using artificial intelligence and other technology to streamline veterans' applications for benefits. Within 120 days, officials must also review relevant government technology contracts with the goal of making Pentagon and VA records systems interoperable.
Military personnel and medical records can play a critical role when VA determines eligibility for disability compensation, health care and other benefits.
VA said Tuesday that faster access to those records could reduce processing times for recently separated service members by an additional 20 to 30 days on average. The department currently reports an average disability-claim processing time of 76.1 days, down from 141.5 days earlier in the administration.
The White House said the existing record-transfer system is particularly problematic for members of the National Guard and Reserve, who can move repeatedly between active-duty status and eligibility for VA services.
The order goes beyond medical and personnel records. Within 180 days, the Pentagon, Department of Labor and VA are also directed to update transition programs so separating service members can be connected with specific job openings, training programs or apprenticeships before leaving active duty.
Service members are also supposed to be connected with government veterans representatives who can help them apply for health care, disability compensation, home loans, education and employment benefits.
The changes will not happen overnight. Several parts of the order have 120- or 180-day implementation deadlines, and the order states that implementation remains subject to applicable law and available funding.
But within 30 days, the government is supposed to begin ensuring that the military records of newly separated service members are transferred to VA immediately upon discharge instead of waiting for the current handoff process.
Sources: The White House; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(Source: OAF Nation)
