AMERICANS Act

This bill helps service members who were punished or pushed out because they refused a COVID‑19 shot. It blocks the Department of Defense from creating a new COVID‑19 vaccine mandate unless Congress clearly approves one. It requires an application process so affected members can ask to fix their records and get remedies.

If someone was disciplined only for refusing the shot, the military cannot take negative actions against them for that reason, and any such discharge must be marked “honorable”. The bill lets eligible members be reinstated at their highest rank, get back pay and lost benefits, and have negative marks removed from their records; time away can count toward retirement pay. It also stops the government from clawing back enlistment or reenlistment bonuses from those separated for refusing the shot and requires refunds if they already repaid any amount. The Pentagon must try to keep unvaccinated members and treat them fairly for training, promotions, and leadership roles. Vaccine status can be considered only for missions where a foreign country’s law requires vaccination, and there must be exemptions for natural immunity, certain medical risks, or sincere religious beliefs. These protections apply whether or not a member previously asked for an accommodation.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Current and former service members impacted by the rescinded COVID‑19 vaccine mandate.
• What changes: No new mandate without Congress; bans negative actions based only on refusal; requires honorable discharges; allows reinstatement, back pay, and record clean‑up; stops bonus paybacks and orders refunds; fair treatment for unvaccinated members; limited use of vaccine status with specific exemptions .
• How to get help: DoD must set up a process to apply for these remedies.