Congress Orders Research to Assess COVID Shot Injuries Among U.S. Military Personnel
- by Rishma Parpia
- Published
- Risk & Failure Reports
In the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Congress is requiring the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to study and report on poor health conditions that active duty members of the Armed Forces developed after administration of COVID-19 shots.1
The NDAA was passed in late 2023 and calls for “a study to assess and evaluate any health conditions and adverse events arising in service members on active duty one year after receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.” Researchers conducting the study will be required to report their findings to the Armed Services committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate by December 2024.2
Lawmakers Question Safety of COVID Shots
The NDAA study/research mandate was included in the legislation by some members of Congress, who called into question the safety of the COVID shots required for all military personnel during the COVID pandemic response by government officials.3
Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that adverse reactions to the COVID shots are rare and that long-term side effects are unlikely. However, DoD has documented reports of adverse reactions occurring among military personnel after COVID shots followed by brain and immune dysfunction and cases of heart inflammation (myocarditis/pericarditis).4
According to the NDAA, the U.S. Secretary of Defense is responsible for assessing and evaluating any poor health conditions suffered by members of the Armed Forces on active duty one year after receiving the first dose of a COVID shot.5 The parameters of the study will include collected data that will identify the vaccine type and manufacturer; age group at the time the first dose was administered; any health condition developed after receiving such first dose, regardless of whether the condition is attributable to the receipt of such first dose; and an account of adverse events (including hyper-immune response).
The study must also assess the prevalence of each identified health condition by each age group among the unvaccinated population for the years 2017, 2018 and 2019.6
Provisions to Reinstate Military Personnel Fired for Refusing to Comply with COVID Shot Mandate
The NDAA also states that DoD will be required to consider reinstating an individual who refused a COVID shot and was involuntarily separated from military service for that reason only. The service member must have applied for an administrative or religious or medical exemption between Aug. 24, 2021 and Feb. 24, 2023 and must apply within two years of the date of separation.7
This provision in the NDAA gives permission for the Secretary of Defense to re-enlist this group of eligible personnel without having to go through the Board of Correction of Military Records adjudication process. Many terminated military personnel believe that the military broke trust with them by removing them from service for declining the shot. Some individuals were punished for refusing the COVID shot with General Officer Letters of Reprimand or reductions in grade for failure to obey a direct order from the Secretary of Defense to be vaccinated.
As of October 2023, only 43 people out of 8,000 service members, who were involuntarily removed from military service under the COVID vaccine mandate, have rejoined the military.8
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