The Secretary of War recently directed the military departments to proactively review personnel records of service members involuntarily discharged solely for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and facilitate discharge upgrades as appropriate.
Under the previous administration, the Department involuntarily separated approximately 8,700 Service members for failing to comply with the Department's since-rescinded COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Of those, more than 3,000 received less than honorable discharge characterizations. The military departments have been directed to complete their respective proactive reviews within one calendar year. Former service members won't need to do anything; the Department will look into the potential upgrades on its own.
Any service member or veteran who believes that their records reflect an error or injustice should visit the military review boards website at https://www.milreviewbds.mil for information on how to apply for relief.
