Air Force reverses ‘adverse actions’ against airmen who sought vaccine exemption for religious reasons

United States Air Force members who refused to take the COVID vaccine for religious reasons will soon get a reprieve from the punitive actions the military took against them. 

The military branch said it will remove “adverse information” from the records of those who sought an exemption on “religious, administrative, or medical grounds and who received adverse actions solely due to their refusal to take the vaccine exemptions.”

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The adverse actions include letters or counseling of admonishment and other nonjudicial punishments “issued solely for vaccine refusal will be set aside in their entirety.”

In addition, involuntary discharge proceedings will be terminated and promotion records will also be corrected. 

The move was effective Friday. Service members do not need to initiate any actions to correct their records, the Air Force said. 

All military branches have until March 17 to rescind their vaccination policies related to COVID-19, the Pentagon said last week. In January, the Department of Defense officially rescinded its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.