Accelerating Access to Veterans' Benefits and Employment Opportunities

Executive Order 14426 of September 8, 2026

Accelerating Access to Veterans' Benefits and
Employment Opportunities

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Millions of brave men
and women have served in our Armed Forces with courage,
commitment, and sacrifice, guaranteeing our security,
prosperity, and freedom. These veterans deserve the
best available services in return. However, outdated
and unwieldy records management and data systems and
procedures hinder military personnel file and medical
record sharing between the Department of War and the
Department of Veterans Affairs, which complicates the
effective transition of military personnel from active-
duty service to civilian life. Such complications
result in delays in healthcare coverage, benefits
processing and payment, education opportunities, and
job training and placement for our Nation's veterans.
This order rectifies this problem and ensures that
veterans promptly receive the benefits and services to
which they are entitled.

Sec. 2. Requiring Prompt Sharing of Military Personnel
and Medical Records. (a) The Secretary of War and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall:

(i) within 180 days of the date of this order, establish updated
information technology systems and policy guidance and memoranda to ensure,
between the Department of War and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the
permanent, prospective, and ongoing sharing of all Official Military
Personnel Files and Service Treatment Records 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, consistent with
38 U.S.C. 5103A, 38 U.S.C. 8111, 38 U.S.C. 7332(e), 5 U.S.C. 552a, and any
other applicable statutes;

(ii) within 180 days of the date of this order, create and deploy new
digital tools using artificial intelligence and other emerging capabilities
to streamline veterans' applications for and access to benefits earned
through military service in a comprehensive single source that includes job
training and opportunities offered by the Department of Labor; and

(iii) within 30 days of the date of this order and at all times thereafter,
ensure all current service member Official Military Personnel Files, health
records, and Service Treatment Records are shared by the Department of War,
or any service component thereof, with the Department of Veterans Affairs
immediately when a service member is discharged or released from the Armed
Forces.

    (b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the
Secretary of War and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (HHS), including HHS's Office of the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
including OMB's Federal Chief Information Officer and
the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, shall
review and modify, to the extent consistent with law
and Federal procurement policy, any existing contracts
for information technology systems and software
relevant to the purpose of this order, including by
adding a requirement that such systems be interoperable
with any other military personnel records system,
health records system, or Service Treatment Records
system operated by the Department of War and the
Department of Veterans Affairs,

and shall ensure that all future contracts for medical
and personnel information technology systems and
software include this requirement.

Sec. 3. Accelerating Veterans' Access to Quality
Employment. Within 180 days of the date of this order
and at all times thereafter as applicable, the
Secretary of War, in consultation with the Secretary of
Labor and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall
update the Transition Assistance Program and other
workforce programs authorized at 10 U.S.C. 1142, 10
U.S.C. 1143, 10 U.S.C. 1144, and 38 U.S.C. 4113 to
ensure every service member leaving active military
service is, to the maximum extent practicable and
applicable:

    (a) either:

(i) connected to specific, open jobs in fields related to their skills,
interests, and the specific goals outlined in America's Talent Strategy or
the Department of War's Project Patriot Pipeline, prior to separation from
active service; or

(ii) enrolled, at his or her discretion, in career and technical education,
an eligible Department of Labor-funded employment or training program, or a
registered apprenticeship, as applicable, for which he or she has priority
under 38 U.S.C. 4215; and

    (b) connected with appropriate veterans'
representatives acting on behalf of a Federal, State,
or local government to facilitate their application for
healthcare, disability, home loan, job placement, or
education benefits.

Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

    (d) The costs for publication of this order shall
be borne by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    (Presidential Sig.)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    September 8, 2026.