Thousands of veterans discharged from service during former President Joe Biden’s administration for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine may regain eligibility for GI Bill education benefits, according to a Monday Department of Veterans Affairs announcement.
Over 8,000 service members across the military were separated from service during the Biden administration for not complying with the Defense Department’s COVID mandate, which required all service members to be fully vaccinated against the virus.
Service members who refused the order were dismissed with “general, under honorable conditions” classifications, hindering their ability to receive veterans benefits, such as GI Bill assistance.
In a January executive order, President Donald Trump reinstated those discharged under the previous mandate, stating that the vaccine mandate was an unfair and unnecessary burden on the service members.
“The Biden Administration’s authoritarian COVID mandates upended the lives and livelihoods of thousands of service members and veterans,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in the announcement. “We are proud to help implement President Trump’s executive order and make these veterans whole again.”
After the executive order, the Defense Department sent “letters of apology” in April to more than 8,700 service members who involuntarily separated and sent correspondence to members who voluntarily separated, urging them to return to service.
“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,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in the announcement.
“We must never let that happen again, and we must also right the wrongs of the past in order to restore trust.”
Of those discharged, there are currently 899 veterans eligible for GI Bill education benefits, the Defense Department found, but more could qualify.
According to the announcement, the VA sent letters in September to veterans who already received upgraded discharges to alert them of this possibility, but the department urges all who were dismissed for refusing the vaccine to seek an upgraded status and apply for GI Bill benefits.
Cristina Stassis is an editorial fellow for Defense News and Military Times, where she covers stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She is currently studying journalism and mass communication and international affairs at the George Washington University.
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