Army Regulation 600-110 is the rule that governs how the Army identifies, monitors, and manages soldiers living with HIV. It sets mandatory testing intervals, controls who learns about a positive result, restricts certain assignments, requires ongoing medical care, and defines when a soldier can be separated. A June 2022 policy memorandum from the Secretary of Defense reshaped much of it: soldiers who are asymptomatic and maintain a clinically confirmed undetectable viral load no longer face medical restrictions on deployment or commissioning.
Who Gets Tested and When
Every soldier is tested at initial entry, and active-duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel are screened at least once every two years afterward.1Health.mil. Routine Screening for Antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the U.S. Armed Forces Testing is also required before any deployment, before a change of component or transfer between branches, and before commissioning.
Reserve Component soldiers must have a negative HIV test within two years of being called to active duty, regardless of how long that activation lasts.2U.S. Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 600-110 – Identification, Surveillance, and Administration of Personnel Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus All accessions must test negative before starting service.
What Happens After a Confirmed Positive Result
A positive initial screening is not a diagnosis. The Army runs confirmatory testing before anything else happens. Once the result is confirmed, a military medical provider delivers it in a private, face-to-face meeting that includes initial counseling, with the Installation HIV Program Coordinator managing the process. The soldier’s commander is notified only after that medical notification and counseling are complete.
Commanders who receive the information must hold a current HIPAA training certificate before disclosure takes place, and the HIV Program Coordinator briefs them on what they can and cannot share. Unauthorized disclosure of a soldier’s HIV status violates both Army policy and federal privacy protections.
As part of the commander’s counseling, the soldier receives a direct order not to donate blood, blood products, sperm, eggs, breast milk, tissues, or organs.2U.S. Army Publishing Directorate. Army Regulation 600-110 – Identification, Surveillance, and Administration of Personnel Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus That is a lawful order under the UCMJ. Violating it can lead to criminal prosecution, not just administrative action.
The 2022 Deployment and Commissioning Change
For most of the regulation’s history, an HIV diagnosis effectively ended a soldier’s ability to deploy overseas or serve in combat units. In June 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a policy memorandum establishing that service members who are HIV-positive, asymptomatic, and maintain a clinically confirmed undetectable viral load face no medical restrictions on their deployability or their ability to commission as officers.
The reasoning is medical: a person with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV. A soldier meeting those criteria can deploy anywhere, serve in any role, and is not automatically barred from officer or warrant officer tracks based on HIV status. The policy hinges on continued compliance. Undetectable status has to be maintained through consistent treatment and verified through the mandatory medical evaluations built into the regulation.
Assignment and Training Limits That Still Apply
Soldiers whose viral load is not confirmed undetectable, or who are symptomatic, remain subject to the older assignment restrictions. They are ineligible for assignment to TOE or MTOE units, which are the Army’s deployable combat and combat-support organizations.3U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Human Immunodeficiency Virus They must be assigned within the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, to positions near adequate medical facilities. Soldiers stationed overseas at the time of diagnosis have their assignments curtailed and are returned to the United States.
HIV-positive soldiers found fit for duty may attend military professional development schools and formal military training, including MOS reclassification courses and functional area schools, provided the course does not exceed 20 weeks.3U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Human Immunodeficiency Virus The cap exists so training does not interfere with the required medical follow-up schedule. The 20-week rule has not been formally rescinded, though soldiers covered by the 2022 policy may see fewer practical limits in day-to-day assignments.
Medical Care Requirements and Costs
The Army provides full medical care for HIV-positive soldiers, centered on antiretroviral therapy managed by an infectious disease physician. Active-duty soldiers must report to a Military Treatment Facility for infectious disease evaluations at least every six months. These appointments are not optional. Missing them can trigger separation proceedings.
Cost is not a barrier for active-duty soldiers. They pay nothing for covered prescription drugs, whether filled at military pharmacies, through home delivery, or at retail network pharmacies.4TRICARE Newsroom. Preview Your 2026 TRICARE Pharmacy Costs Antiretroviral medications on the TRICARE formulary carry zero out-of-pocket cost.
Enlistment Versus Retention
The 2022 memorandum applies to people already in uniform. It does not open enlistment. Individuals living with HIV remain categorically barred from enlisting in any branch of the U.S. military. In February 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld that ban, ruling that the military may lawfully rely on medical standards that automatically disqualify applicants with HIV, including those whose condition is well-managed. The separate deployment ruling in Roe v. Department of Defense, which struck down the ban on deploying active-duty service members with HIV, remains in effect. The practical line: you cannot join with HIV, but a diagnosis while serving does not automatically end your career.
When a Soldier Can Be Separated
An HIV-positive soldier can be involuntarily separated for two main reasons: noncompliance with treatment, or inability to perform military duties due to disease progression. Documented noncompliance includes missing scheduled medical appointments or failing to take prescribed medication, and these failures can move quickly to separation.
Soldiers who meet the medical retention standards in AR 40-501 remain eligible for retention and reenlistment.5Department of the Army. Army Regulation 40-501 – Standards of Medical Fitness If the condition progresses to significant clinical illness or immune deficiency, the soldier may be referred to a Medical Evaluation Board for a potential disability separation. A soldier who no longer meets medical retention standards will not be involuntarily separated under AR 600-110 alone; separation in that situation follows the disability evaluation process unless there are separate grounds such as misconduct.
The difference matters for benefits. A disability separation through the Medical Evaluation Board can qualify a soldier for disability retirement pay or a lump-sum disability severance payment, depending on the rating. An administrative separation for noncompliance may result in a less favorable characterization of service and fewer post-service benefits. Soldiers facing either track have the right to counsel and should consult a military attorney before proceedings begin.