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The Department of War has established a COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force and directed new case reviews intended to return some former troops to service who were affected by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Secretary Hegseth created the task force to coordinate return-to-service efforts across the force. He also instructed the Secretaries of the Military Departments to ensure their Review Boards examine the records of any former Service member who voluntarily left and now seeks to return through the COVID-19 reinstatement program, to determine whether they were “unjustly discharged.” The boards will evaluate each case individually based on documented evidence.
Guidance for determining whether a former member may be considered “unjustly discharged” includes evidence that adverse actions effectively ended a career, such as letters of reprimand, active or denied vaccine exemption requests, withdrawn assignments, unsatisfactory participation in a Reserve Component, or canceled enrollments in mandatory Professional Military Education.
The Department said it continues to welcome back former Service members who were separated solely for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. As of April 2026, nearly 170 have been reinstated or re-accessed, and the Military Departments are tracking more than 800 additional individuals who have expressed interest in returning. Individuals have until April 1, 2027, to use the Department’s reinstatement policies, which carry a two-year service commitment.
Two memorandums detailing the actions were published: “Establishment of the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force” and “Reinstating Service Members Unjustly Discharged Under the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Mandate.” The Department said it is working to restore confidence in and honor to the force.
