H.R. 1671 — Justice for Vaccine Injured Veterans Act of 2025

This section states congressional findings regarding a Department of Defense memorandum issued on August 24, 2021, mandating COVID-19 vaccination for all active duty and Ready Reserve service members (including the National Guard), which achieved 98% vaccination among active duty members and 96% of the total force by December 2022 but resulted in the separation of more than 8,400 members for refusal prior to its rescission on January 10, 2023, as required by the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The section expresses the sense of Congress that these actions caused irreparable harm to the health and readiness of the Armed Forces.

This section establishes a presumption of service connection—easing the evidentiary burden for disability compensation under 38 U.S.C. §1110—for specified diseases becoming manifest in Armed Forces members who received a COVID-19 vaccine under orders during the period beginning August 24, 2021, and ending January 10, 2023. The covered diseases are (1) myocarditis, (2) pericarditis, (3) thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, (4) Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and (5) any other disease for which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines a presumption is warranted based on a positive association with the COVID-19 vaccine (with notice to the congressional Veterans' Affairs Committees prior to adding such a disease). This section further directs the Secretary to submit reports to the congressional Veterans' Affairs Committees, not later than 60 days after enactment and every 60 days thereafter for a four-year period, detailing COVID-19 vaccine-related claims (including totals, approval/denial/appeal statuses, and pending claims), and to make such reports publicly available on the department's website. This section also makes a clerical amendment to the table of sections for subchapter II of chapter 11 of title 38, U.S. Code.