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Thousands of veterans who were removed from the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine during the Biden administration may regain their GI Bill education benefits under a new policy announced on Monday by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The change follows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14184, which directs federal agencies to provide redress for service members discharged solely for declining the vaccine requirement.
“The Biden administration’s authoritarian COVID mandates upended the lives and livelihoods of thousands of service members and Veterans,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said. “We are proud to help implement President Trump’s executive order and make these Veterans whole again.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth also criticized the previous mandate in the statement.
“One of the most atrocious attacks on our military by the previous administration was the discharging and targeting of perfectly healthy warfighters who refused to take an experimental vaccine implemented by an illegal mandate,” he said.
“We must never let that happen again, and we must also right the wrongs of the past in order to restore trust. We at the Department of War and the VA are grateful for President Trump’s executive order reinstating GI Bill benefits for those veterans who were targeted for refusing the illegal COVID-19 vaccine mandate,” he added.
According to a VA release, Trump’s order categorized the vaccine mandate as an “unfair, overbroad, and completely unnecessary burden” that led to wrongful dismissals across the armed forces. The order directs military leaders to reinstate affected service members, restore their rank and provide back pay to those discharged solely over vaccine refusal. It also instructs the Department of War and the Department of Homeland Security to allow returning personnel to resume service without penalty.
In response, Hegseth directed the military services to fast-track discharge upgrades for troops separated under the mandate. Many were issued less than honorable discharges, which made them ineligible for GI Bill benefits.
The Biden administration removed more than 8,000 service members for refusing the vaccine, and more than half received discharges classified as less than fully honorable. That status blocked access to education benefits that many believed they had earned through years of service.
After reviewing cases, the Department of War determined that 899 veterans discharged for refusing the vaccine now qualify for reinstated GI Bill benefits. Thousands more could become eligible as their discharge statuses are formally upgraded under President Trump’s directive.
