H.R. 9046: COVID-19 Military Mandate Transparency Act

This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to study and report on service members who left the Armed Forces because they refused the military’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate, along with how those separations affected the transfer of education benefits to dependents.

What the study would cover

The bill focuses on people who were separated from the military, either voluntarily or involuntarily, solely because they refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccine between August 24, 2021, and January 10, 2023. For those individuals, the Defense Department would have to collect information on:

• How many such individuals there were.
• How many had already started transferring education benefits to a dependent before leaving service.
• How many started that transfer but did not finish the service time needed for the dependent to use the benefit.
• How many service members were denied a religious exemption from the vaccine mandate during that period.
• How many of the affected individuals were denied a religious exemption.
• How many returned to service under Executive Order 14184, which reinstated service members discharged under the COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
• How many of those returning service members had already transferred education benefits to a dependent, and how many later completed the required service time so the dependent could use the benefits.
• How many dependents were affected.
• The budget impact of allowing covered dependents to use transferred education benefits even if the service member did not complete the required service after separation.
• Any recommendations the Secretary of Defense thinks would help address these separations and ensure affected members receive appropriate veterans’ benefits.

How the information would be broken down

The report would need to separate the results by:

• Military branch.
• Whether the person served in active duty or the reserve component.
• Rank or grade.
• Years of service at the time of separation.
• The type of discharge received.

Reporting and publication

The Secretary of Defense would have to send the report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees within 180 days of enactment. The Defense Department would then have to make the report publicly available on its website within 60 days after submitting it to Congress.

What the bill does not do

This bill does not itself change military vaccination policy, reinstate anyone, or automatically restore education benefits. It mainly requires a factual review, public reporting, and budget analysis about the impact of the COVID-19 mandate on separated service members and their dependents.

Relevant Companies

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