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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 27, 2025
Justice for Vaccine Injured Veterans Act of 2025
This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for certain conditions that become manifest in a member of the Armed Forces who received a COVID-19 vaccine under orders any time from August 24, 2021, through January 10, 2023. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
Specifically, the bill establishes a presumption of service-connection, regardless of whether there is a record of evidence of the condition during a servicemember's period of service, for myocarditis, pericarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and any other condition the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) determines is warranted based on a positive association with the COVID-19 vaccine. Under the bill, if the VA determines an additional condition should be specified, it must submit a notice of such determination to Congress.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The VA must also report to Congress every 60 days for four years regarding claims for compensation related to a condition associated with the COVID-19 vaccine. Such reports must be made publicly available.
People & committees
Rep. Davidson, Warren [R-OH-8] · R–OH
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 2, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-27 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Justice for Vaccine Injured Veterans Act of 2025 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to treat specified diseases as connected to military service for service members who received a COVID–19 vaccine under orders between August 24, 2021, and January 10, 2023. This rule would apply even without a service record of the disease, subject to existing legal conditions. The bill would also require regular public reports on related compensation claims.
This Act may be cited as the Justice for Vaccine Injured Veterans Act of 2025.
For the purposes of section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, a disease specified in subsection (b) becoming manifest in a member of the Armed Forces who, during the period beginning on August 24, 2021, and ending on January 10, 2023, received a COVID–19 vaccine under orders shall be considered to have been incurred in or aggravated during active military, naval, air, or space service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service.
The Secretary shall make each report required by subsection (d) publicly available
Section 2 presents findings about the military vaccination order and its rescission and expresses Congress’s proposed view that the Department of Defense’s actions harmed military health and readiness. This is a statement of the bill’s position, not proof of those effects.
On August 24, 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a memorandum titled, Mandatory Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination of Department of Defense Service Members.
On January 10, 2023, Secretary Austin was forced to rescind this memorandum as a requirement of section 525 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263).
It is the sense of Congress that the actions referred to in subsection (a) that were taken by the Department of Defense under the Biden administration caused irreparable harm to the health and readiness of the United States Armed Forces.
Section 3 would create a presumption of service connection—a legal rule treating a covered disease as caused or worsened during military service. It would apply to service members vaccinated under orders during the specified period, even without evidence of the disease in their service records. The rule would operate for purposes of existing section 1110 and remain subject to section 1113.
For the purposes of section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, a disease specified in subsection (b) becoming manifest in a member of the Armed Forces who, during the period beginning on August 24, 2021, and ending on January 10, 2023, received a COVID–19 vaccine under orders shall be considered to have been incurred in or aggravated during active military, naval, air, or space service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of such disease during the period of such service.
The expressly listed diseases are myocarditis, pericarditis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, and a condition the text spells “Guillian-Barre Syndrome.”
(b) Covered diseases The diseases specified in this subsection are the following: (1) Myocarditis. (2) Pericarditis. (3) Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome. (4) Guillian-Barre Syndrome.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs could recognize additional diseases when the Secretary determines that a positive association with the COVID–19 vaccine warrants the presumption.
(5) Any other disease for which the Secretary determines that a presumption of service connection is warranted based on a positive association with the COVID–19 vaccine.
The bill would require the Secretary to notify the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees when determining that an additional disease should be covered. However, the notice clause refers to subsection (b)(4), which lists a specific disease; the authority to recognize additional diseases appears in subsection (b)(5).
(c) Congressional notice requirement If the Secretary determines that an additional disease should be specified pursuant to subsection (b)(4), the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Veterans Affairs’ of the Senate and the House of Representatives notice of such determination.
(4) Guillian-Barre Syndrome. (5) Any other disease for which the Secretary determines that a presumption of service connection is warranted based on a positive association with the COVID–19 vaccine.
The Secretary would have to submit the first compensation-claims report to the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees within 60 days after enactment, then report every 60 days for the subsequent four-year period.
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of the Justice for Vaccine Injured Veterans Act of 2025, and every 60 days thereafter for the subsequent four year-period, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees of Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report
Each report would count compensation claims related to diseases associated with the COVID–19 vaccine and claims awaiting a decision. It would also break down claims by approval or denial and, after denial, whether the claimant took no further action, filed a supplemental claim, requested higher-level review, or appealed to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
(1) The total number of claims for compensation under this chapter related to a disease associated with the COVID–19 vaccine. (2) The status of each such claim, disaggregated by— (A) the number of claims that were approved; (B) the number of claims that were denied and for which the claimant took no further action; (C) the number of claims that were denied and for which the claimant filed a supplemental claim; (D) the number of claims that were denied and for which the claimant requested a higher level review; and (E) the number of claims that were denied and for which the claimant filed an appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. (3) The total number of such claims that, as of the date of the submission of the report, had been submitted but were pending a decision.
The Secretary would have to make every report public, including on a Department website. The Secretary could add information or comments to explain the reports.
The Secretary shall make each report required by subsection (d) publicly available, including by making publicly available on an appropriate website of the Department each such report together with such additional information or comments as the Secretary considers appropriate to provide context for the report.
The bill’s definition of a COVID–19 vaccine would include vaccines licensed under the cited Public Health Service Act provision or authorized for emergency use under the cited Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provision, for immunization against the virus responsible for COVID–19.
the term COVID–19 vaccine means vaccine licensed under section 351 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262) or authorized for emergency use under section 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb–3) for immunization against the virus responsible for COVID–19.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 2, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services committees on February 27, 2025. Its latest listed action is referral to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs on March 27, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-09-02T17:48:58Z.
2025-02-27: Introduced in House
2025-02-27: Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-03-27: Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-27. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying earmark materials were not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No separate narrow carve-out or preferential exception was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. The eligibility rules define the main policy’s intended beneficiaries, which alone does not warrant a targeted-benefit finding. This conclusion is limited to that version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 2, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI