Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell, on "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" Memorandums
The Department of War continues to take decisive action in support of the many Service members adversely impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Today, Secretary Hegseth established the Department of War COVID-19 Reinstatement and Reconciliation Task Force to ensure return-to-service efforts for these warriors are optimized across the force.
He also directed the Secretaries of the Military Departments to ensure their Review Boards evaluate the records of any former Service member who voluntarily left service, and who now requests to return to service through the COVID-19 reinstatement program, to determine whether they were "unjustly discharged." While the Boards will evaluate each case individually based on documented evidence, the Secretary noted that it is appropriate to consider members as unjustly discharged based on evidence showing that adverse actions effectively ended their careers (e.g., letters of reprimand, active or denied vaccine exemption requests, withdrawn assignments, unsatisfactory participation in a Reserve Component, or cancelled enrollments in mandatory Professional Military Education).
