An airman prepares vaccinations at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, on May 1, 2021. The Air Force announced on Thursday that nearly 600 airmen who had been involuntarily discharged for declining the vaccine will be given the opportunity to reenlist and have their personnel records updated to honorable service. (JaoTorey Johnson/U.S. Air Force)
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, the service said Thursday.
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.”
Those receiving upgrades include active-duty and Air National Guard members, ranging in rank from airman 1st class to master sergeant.
Approximately 8,700 service members were involuntarily separated for not complying with the vaccine mandate, and more than 3,000 of them did not receive honorable discharges, according to the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the military services in December to proactively review those cases and consider potential upgrades, giving them one year to complete the reviews.
The military’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for active-duty service members began in August 2021 and was later extended to members of the National Guard and reservists. Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ended the mandate in 2023 but did not change the status of service members who were separated for refusing the vaccine.
The Pentagon recently announced that it had extended the deadline for discharged service members to pursue reinstatement by one year, until April 2027.
“We need these brave warriors back in the fight,” said Anthony Tata, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, on the social media platform X on March 13.
