On August 8, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued new guidance under President Trump’s direction requiring the removal of COVID-19 vaccination data from all federal employee personnel records. The order covers vaccination status, exemption requests, and records of noncompliance with prior mandates. Agencies are prohibited from using such information in any future employment decisions.
The guidance, signed by OPM Director Scott Kupor, applies to both paper and digital records stored in Official Personnel Folders. Agencies must delete the information unless an employee formally requests that it remain. The policy also bars managers from considering vaccination history in hiring, promotions, disciplinary actions, or terminations.
According to the OPM memorandum, agencies must certify compliance by September 8, 2025, and complete all removals within 90 days. The administration has framed the action as part of its broader rollback of pandemic-era mandates, which President Trump and his team have described as harmful to personal freedom and government trust.
This marks a significant shift from previous federal policy, which mandated vaccination for millions of federal workers under the Biden administration. Thousands of employees faced discipline or job loss for declining the vaccine, sparking legal challenges and claims of government overreach. The new order effectively erases those records, removing any official trace of vaccine-related compliance or defiance.
The directive aligns with the administration’s stated goal of dismantling what it views as politically driven public health enforcement from the pandemic. By clearing these records, the federal government eliminates the possibility of lingering career consequences tied to an employee’s medical decisions during COVID-19.
