An executive order signed Sept. 8 by President Donald Trump would require the Pentagon and the VA to tackle two long-standing issues facing those about to leave service – the handoff of personnel records between the departments and improved access to employment opportunities.

The order imposes a timeline on improvements addressing both issues. For records:

• Within 30 days, the Pentagon and the VA are to “ensure all current service member Official Military Personnel Files, health records, and Service Treatment Records are shared” between the agencies after the member leaves uniform.
  
  
• Within 120 days, federal officials must review all software systems connected to the order for compatibility with military records, and ensure future systems remain compatible.
  
  
• Within 180 days, the record-sharing established at the 30-day mark must be “permanent, prospective, and ongoing … from the moment an individual enters into military service until such time as he or she no longer requires benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.”

“Giving VA continuous access to warfighters’ military records will eliminate weeks of waiting for veterans applying for VA health care and financial benefits,” VA secretary Doug Collins said in a press release announcing the order. “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.”

Transition-related improvements also come with a timeline, as changes to streamline access to benefits and updates to the Transition Assistance Program are due in 180 days. Updates require coordination between the Pentagon, the VA, and the Labor Department to connect veterans with “specific, open jobs in fields related to their skills [and] interests,” enroll them in Labor Department-funded job training, or connect them with a veterans representative to assist in applying for education, disability, health care, or other service-earned benefits.

[RELATED: Transition and Career Assistance From MOAA]

MOAA looks forward to working with the VA and other stakeholders to support the association’s goals of an improved Pentagon-VA records handoff and expanded access to proven, results-oriented transition and career support.