GI Bill for Covid Casualties
GI Bill benefits restored to vets dismissed for COVID vaccine refusal
By Cristina Stassis
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.”
Pretty words. Now about all those shitcanned with a General Discharge, Pete. Time to fix this too.
Category: Big Pentagon
It won’t be “justice” until the folks who ordered and carried out the covid discharges are themselves convicted.
Not holding my breath.
That will NEVER happen. Sometimes we just gotta go with good enough so we can forgive and heal.
“Now about all those shitcanned with a General Discharge, Pete”
This. The various service records review boards are approving discharge upgrades, but this requires the affected service member to petition for redress.
This needs to be a fast-tracked automated review and upgrade process.
^^^THIS
Adding to “This needs to be a fast-tracked automated review and upgrade process”, the War Department needs to staff an entire cadre of people with direct links to the respective service board that corrects records and immediately issue honorable discharge certificates and DD214’s, and strike all negative entries made in service records or fitness reports.