Pentagon mulls expediting process to reinstate troops discharged over Covid vaccine

The Pentagon is considering speeding up the process to bring back ex-service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine , sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

Less than two dozen service members have been reinstated, though hundreds have applied.

Sources say Defense Department officials are weighing whether to grant honorable discharges to some people forced out of the U.S. military for not getting vaccinated.

The change would apply only to those whose departures stemmed exclusively from their refusal to take the vaccine . Troops who refused the shots but also had additional disciplinary infractions would not be eligible to have their discharges upgraded.

Veterans forced out under the mandate have been frustrated by what they described as a slow, arduou