WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday allowing military service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine to be reinstated with full back pay, benefits, and rank.
The order addresses the fallout from the Department of Defense’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, implemented on August 24, 2021, and later rescinded on January 10, 2023. The mandate, which required all service members to be vaccinated, resulted in numerous discharges for those who refused, often without exemptions granted.
“This mandate was an unfair, overbroad, and completely unnecessary burden on our service members,” Trump wrote in the order, calling the policy unjust to those who served the nation.
Under the executive order, discharged service members can request reinstatement to their former positions, receive back pay and bonuses, and have their service records restored. The policy also allows individuals who voluntarily left the military due to the vaccine requirement to return without penalty to their rank and service status.
The Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security have been tasked with implementing the order and reporting back to the president within 60 days on their progress.