COVID Files PURGE: Federal Records ERASED

Washington just ordered a purge of COVID-era personnel files across the federal workforce—erasing vaccination and noncompliance records that once fueled mandates and discipline.

Story Snapshot

• OPM directed agencies to expunge COVID-19 vaccination status, mandate noncompliance, and exemption-request records from Official Personnel Folders, effective immediately.
• Agencies are barred from using vaccine-related information in hiring, promotion, or discipline, and must certify compliance to OPM by September 8, 2025.
• Employees have a 90-day window to opt out of removal, with the right to request expungement later.
• The move formalizes a post-pandemic, merit-based approach and reduces legal and privacy risks tied to sensitive health data.

What OPM Ordered and When It Takes Effect

The Office of Personnel Management issued a government‑wide memo instructing agencies to eliminate any record of a federal employee’s COVID‑19 vaccination status, prior mandate noncompliance, or exemption requests from Official Personnel Folders and electronic equivalents, effective immediately. OPM also prohibited agencies from using such information in employment decisions. Agencies must report compliance to OPM by September 8, 2025, documenting the scrub and policy updates to keep vaccine data out of hiring, promotion, and discipline processes.

OPM’s directive includes an employee choice mechanism: within 90 days, individuals can opt out of the expungement if they want records retained; even if they opt out now, they may later request removal. OPM officials say this structure gives employees greater choice over whether vaccine status and accommodation records remain in their files. OPM says this will prevent vaccine-status information from being considered in future career decisions.

Why This Marks a Post‑Pandemic Policy Reset

Federal employment analysts at the Volcker Alliance say the memo reflects a shift from the 2021 Executive Order 14043 mandate era to a merit-based management standard that excludes irrelevant medical data from federal employment decisions. By ordering expungement and forbidding use of vaccine status, OPM aims to align HR practices with competitive merit principles and privacy protections. The announcement arrives under newly sworn OPM Director Scott Kupor and fits what OPM describes as a broader ‘forward-looking’ workforce policy update emphasizing neutral, job‑related criteria.

Operationally, agencies must find and purge covered records from OPF/eOPF and any linked repositories, update internal guidance, and certify completion. HR shops will adjust hiring and disciplinary adjudications to ignore historical vaccine-related entries. Short-term, this requires data discovery and coordination among HR, privacy, and legal offices. Legal scholars at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law say it could reduce litigation risk over misuse of health data and limit attempts to reintroduce pandemic-era compliance histories in future personnel actions or grievances.

What It Means for Employees, Managers, and Policy

For federal employees and applicants, the change means sensitive vaccine-status information should no longer appear in personnel folders or influence job prospects. The opt-out window lets individuals preserve records if they believe it serves them—for example, to document past accommodations—but without default retention. For managers, the bright-line ban simplifies adjudications: decisions must rest on performance and qualifications, not medical status, preventing backdoor penalties tied to prior mandate disputes.

Federal Agencies Told To Expunge Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Records | ZeroHedge https://t.co/pDVBP9pMj7

— Chest Rockwell (@Brock_Landers00) August 11, 2025

Federal News Network and Government Executive have described the order as ‘immediate and comprehensive,’ highlighting the compliance timetable and requirement to codify the prohibition in agency processe. Primary OPM documents remain the authoritative source for scope and deadlines. One practical gap remains: agencies may seek follow‑up guidance on records schedules and the interface with Privacy Act and FOIA obligations for non‑OPF systems. Until clarified, privacy and legal teams will likely interpret the memo broadly to ensure compliance.

Sources:

Use of COVID-19 Vaccination Status in Federal Employment and Updates to Employee Records
News Releases
OPM Orders Federal Agencies to Expunge COVID-19 Vaccine Records
OPM Orders Removal of COVID-19 Vaccine Records from Federal Personnel Files
OPM Orders Deletion of Federal Workers’ Vaccination Records