Shaving Waivers and the One-Year Rule: What the Grooming Standard Says, and What a Separation Would Mean for Your Pay

What is settled: in a memorandum dated August 20, 2025, the Secretary of War set the grooming standard as "clean-shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance" and limited medical shaving waivers. A service member with a waiver takes part in a medical treatment plan, and commanders "will initiate separation of those who still require a shaving waiver after more than one year of undergoing medical treatment." The memorandum took effect immediately, so for members who were already on a waiver the one-year mark began arriving in late summer 2026. What is not settled is any individual case. The Department said at the time that each one requires review by the member's medical provider and commander before separation is initiated.

What the rule says

• The standard: clean-shaven and neat in presentation.
• Medical waivers still exist. Members with conditions such as pseudofolliculitis barbae or eczema can apply for a waiver. What ended is the long-term waiver that ran for years.
• A waiver now comes with a treatment plan. Medical officers give the commander a written recommendation, and the member takes part in treatment aimed at getting back within the standard.
• One year. Commanders initiate separation of those who still require a waiver after more than one year of medical treatment.
• Case by case. In the Department's words, "Each individual case will require an individual review by the service member's medical provider and commander before the initiation of separation takes place."

What the Department said it is not

Two limits were stated when the rule was announced. First, the one-year mark was not described as an automatic discharge date: an official said the effective date "doesn't mean service members who currently have shaving waivers will be separated in August 2026." Second, the direction does not affect shaving waivers related to religious accommodations. Those are handled under a separate process.

Military.com reported in September 2026 that roughly 16,000 service members still held temporary shaving waivers. We have not seen a Department figure for how many separations, if any, have been initiated.

If separation is initiated, the money questions

The memorandum is about grooming. It says nothing about pay. But a separation of any kind sets off a chain of pay actions, and the amounts depend on details you want settled before you sign anything.

• The type of separation and the characterization of service. These drive almost everything below, including eligibility for separation pay and for VA benefits. Ask for them in writing.
• Accrued leave. In most separations unused leave is paid out at your basic pay rate. An E-5 over 6 years earns $4,110.00 a month in basic pay in 2026, so 30 days of leave is one month of it. The final pay calculator computes yours.
• Bonus recoupment. An unearned portion of a reenlistment bonus can be collected back when the service obligation is not completed. Whether that applies depends on the reason for separation, so ask before the paperwork is final. Your bonus terms are in the SRB calculator.
• A medical condition is still a medical condition. If the skin condition was diagnosed in service, it can be claimed with the VA after you leave. The VA disability calculator shows what each rating pays, and the claims guide covers filing before you separate.
• The last check. Final pay nets out advances, debts and unearned bonuses before anything reaches you. Read what your final pay is made of so the number is not a surprise.

What to do if you are on a waiver

• Know your dates. When the waiver was approved, when treatment started, and when the one-year mark falls.
• Keep the treatment record. The rule turns on progress under a treatment plan, and the record is how progress is shown.
• Ask your provider what the options are. The Department said providers can recommend individualized treatment plans that allow a member to come off a permanent shaving profile.
• Talk to legal early. Before a separation is initiated is better than after.

The bottom line

Under a memorandum dated August 20, 2025, the grooming standard is clean-shaven, medical shaving waivers come with a treatment plan, and commanders initiate separation of members who still need a waiver after more than one year of treatment, with each case reviewed individually. Religious accommodations are not affected by that direction. The memorandum does not address pay, so if a separation is initiated, settle the characterization, leave, bonus and VA questions first. Pay figures are the 2026 tables; always verify with your finance office and a legal assistance office before making decisions.