MASSACHUSETTS — The Secretary of Defense mandated that all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine on August 24, 2021. Congress rescinded the military's mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy in 2023, creating a pathway for reinstatement of service members who refused the vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine was released in 2020.

Pentagon records indicate that some military service members who were discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine had been reinstated as of July 2026. Leah Rosenbaum reviewed military records and court records for this story on July 23, 2026. She spoke with four service members who are trying to get reinstated. The War Horse is a nonprofit news organization.

Daniel Pendergast is a service member seeking reinstatement. "I honestly thought it sounded kind of ingenious at first," Daniel Pendergast said. Donald Trump is an American businessman and politician who served as President of the United States from 2017 to 2021 and has held the office since 2025.

The delay in reinstatement affects hundreds of former service members who were discharged under the 2021 mandate. The 2023 legislative change provided a legal mechanism for return, but the processing of cases has proceeded slowly relative to the number of affected personnel. The reinstatement process involves the review of individual military and court records to determine eligibility for return to active duty.