The Department of Homeland Security announced that 56 Coast Guard members dismissed for refusing COVID-19 vaccines will be reinstated with back pay.
The decision reverses dismissals that occurred under the Biden administration’s military vaccine mandate. The reinstatements mark a significant policy shift under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The move affects service members who lost their positions between 2021 and 2023 for declining vaccination.
“56 members of the United States Coast Guard who were kicked out of the service over the COVID-19 vaccine have finally been reinstated with back pay — this is a victory for religious, personal, and medical freedom for all Americans — both in and out of uniform,” Secretary Kristi Noem said in a news release. “The last administration’s vaccine mandates were unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom.”
The original mandate came from then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on August 21, 2021. The Coast Guard implemented a similar requirement, which remained in effect until January 11, 2023.
President Trump’s Executive Order 14184, issued January 27, 2025, opened the door for reinstatement. The order allowed all service members discharged over vaccine refusal to return to duty.
A three-member panel from the Board for Correction of Military Records approved the reinstatements following Noem’s recommendation.
The Coast Guard will restore members to their original discharge dates retroactively. This ensures continuous service records without gaps. The reinstated members may receive back pay, allowances, bonuses, and restored rank, as determined by the Coast Guard.
“It was no way to treat the men and women who put everything on the line to keep our country safe,” Noem said. “President Trump is righting these wrongs and returning those unjustly removed members to service.”
The decision represents one of several reversals of Biden-era military policies under the current administration. It affects Coast Guard members who cited religious, medical, or personal objections to vaccination.
