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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is President Joe Biden withholding health care benefits from unvaccinated veterans?

By Sophia Tulp
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NO

Social media posts falsely claimed a Biden directive would make veterans unable to access health care benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs unless they received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 1.

But no such policy exists. ​​In a statement to The Associated Press, the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed the claims were untrue.

“The President has not and will not withhold benefits to Veterans who choose not to be vaccinated,” Veterans Affairs Press Secretary Terrence L. Hayes wrote in a statement.

The erroneous claims appeared in a satirical article published by a parody blog that some readers mistakenly spread as fact.

While Biden did issue an executive order Sept. 9 introducing sweeping new federal vaccine requirements, that order makes no specific mention of veterans and does not extend to veterans’ government health care benefits.  

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
AP News Biden is not withholding benefits from unvaccinated veterans
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.