Service members with certain medical conditions, such as pseudofolliculitis barbae or eczema, for instance, are eligible to apply for medical waivers that allow them to abstain from shaving. Some of those medical waivers were issued on a long-term basis, meaning that some service members could go for years without having to meet the standard of being clean-shaven. Now, service members who have medical waivers for shaving will have one year to address the underlying medical issues that keep them from meeting the standard. However, that doesn’t mean service members who currently have shaving waivers will be separated in August 2026. “Each individual case will require an individual review by the service member’s medical provider and commander before the initiation of separation takes place.