The policy had meant that you had to recertify every 2 years (by achieving another VCP or VCAP), or your certifications would expire.
Given the switch at the start of this year to annual certification updates, meaning that VCPs are associated with a calendar year, I think it makes perfect sense to drop recertification.
You demonstrate the relevance of your certification by it's title - which defines which solution area you are skilled in, and in which year you completed the requirements.
Using VCP-DCV 2019 as an example, you know this is someone who has the latest professional certification in the vSphere platform.
If you have had VCPs expire while the recertification policy has been in place, you might have them "un-expired" too.
