Pentagon welcomes back troops ousted over COVID vaccine refusal

WASHINGTON — The US Defense Department is offering an apology, back pay and a welcome back to former military personnel who were forced out of the armed forces over their refusal to be vaccinated against the coronavirus during the Biden administration.

“Former service members who were involuntarily separated solely due to their COVID-19 vaccine status are now receiving letters of apology from the department in the mail, along with instructions on how they can pursue returning to service,” Tim Dill, who is performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, told reporters on Tuesday.

More than 8,700 people were forced out of the military over the vaccine mandate, but there is not an estimate for the number who voluntarily left the armed forces because of their objections to it, he said. People who left voluntarily are not eligible for back pay.

The decision represents another rebuke of President Joe Biden’s agenda and policies, which President Donald Trump and his allies claim politicized the Pentagon and other parts of the U.S. government. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also eliminated diversity programs and taken steps to ban transgender and gender nonconforming people from the ranks.

Several troops forced out by the Biden administration mandate unsuccessfully challenged it in court.

For those involuntarily separated from the military, the calculations will examine “the pay and entitlements a service member would have received had they not been wrongfully discharged,” such as salary, housing and other allowances, and medical benefits, Dill said. The department also will examine individuals’ compensation and benefits in the civilian world.

The Pentagon is also trying to engage the former service members through email, social media and websites, and publicizing the reinstatement options.

That process could take months because of the administrative steps involved, including ensuring individuals meet medical standards for reinstatement, but back pay calculations can occur while someone returns to service, Dill added.

Those opting to come back will be assessed via medical retention standards rather than the stricter medical standards applied to new entrants. The reinstatement offer will be open for one year.

The Pentagon made service members forced out over the vaccine mandate eligible for reinstatement in 2023, but without back pay. Dill said fewer than 80 people returned to service under the previous terms, and their return to service is not covered by the current guidance.

_____