Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said U.S. service members forced to leave the military for refusing the experimental COVID-19 jab have an extra year to return to the service, if they choose to.
“We are extending the Department’s ‘reinstatement and return to service’ guidance by an ADDITIONAL YEAR, allowing our Warriors of Conscience to return through April 1, 2027,” Hegseth announced.
“We will continue correcting the wrongs of the Biden administration,” he added.
Watch his full announcement:
UPDATE ON COVID-19 REINSTATEMENTS.
We are extending the Department’s “reinstatement and return to service” guidance by an ADDITIONAL YEAR, allowing our Warriors of Conscience to return through April 1, 2027.
We will continue correcting the wrongs of the Biden administration. pic.twitter.com/nOyxzd29tC
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) March 20, 2026
More from the Department of War:
In 2021, Pentagon officials issued a mandate that forced service members to either be vaccinated for COVID-19 or forced out of the military. Over the course of 500 days, nearly 8,000 active-duty and reserve service members were involuntarily separated for refusing to take the vaccine. Many others left voluntarily when their enlistments ended.
Last year, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order regarding reinstating service members discharged under the department’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Following that executive order, the War Department invited those service members to return and pick up where they left off. Part of that direction included correcting the records of some service members who were discharged with a less than honorable service characterization. Some service members — those involuntarily separated solely for refusing to take the vaccine — were and are still eligible to receive some kinds of compensation.
That initial invitation closes out next month. Now, the War Department is extending the deadline to April 1, 2027, giving those service members an extra year to decide whether they want to continue serving.
According to Stars and Stripes, the Air Force “upgraded the records of nearly 600 personnel who were forced out of the military for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The move offers them a path to reinstatement without a waiver.
The Air Force has upgraded the records of nearly 600 personnel who were forced out of the military for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, offering them a path to reinstatement without a waiver.
Learn more:https://t.co/adElbWRSgE
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) March 20, 2026
Stars and Stripes explained further:
It also ensures those who choose not to rejoin receive the full amount of post-service benefits, such as VA home loans and post-9/11 GI Bill money, they were originally entitled to, according to the Air Force.
More than half of those identified for upgrades were involuntarily discharged solely for declining the shot, the Air Force said.
The Air Force Review Boards Agency also evaluated an additional 218 involuntary discharge cases, “addressing individuals whose separation fell outside the original scope,” said the Air Force statement, without clarifying how the cases differed.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to upgrade nearly 600 cases for those previously given a ‘General’ discharge to now an ‘Honorable’ discharge, whose involuntary separation precluded their reentry to service or mischaracterized their discharge as anything other than COVID-related,” said Richard Anderson, Air Force assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs.
Anderson said the service is “reaching out to each individual to ensure they are aware of their updated records and take full advantage of the service benefits they deserve.”