VFC Eligibility Screening Documentation Requirements

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (Title 42, United States Code, Section 300aa-25 (01/16/96) states that VFC Providers must screen and document a child's eligibility for participation in the VFC Program.

Screening of the child must occur at every visit, but only needs to be documented at the initial screening.

Eligibility Screening is a self-declaration process by parents/guardians of eligible children. There is no requirement for providers to verify this parental self-declaration.

Providers must maintain a record (paper or electronic) of the screening for at least three (3) years after the last administered VFC vaccine. After three (3) years has passed, these records may be archived.

The record must be readily retrievable, whether electronic or paper, in the providers office. Retention of eligibility screening records for children found not to be VFC eligible is optional.

Providers are encouraged to incorporate eligibility screening into a patient's individual Immunization Record and History Form, or into a computerized immunization registry to document screening.

Since parental consent signatures are no longer required when administering vaccines, eligibility screening information may also be stored electronically in a computerized immunization registry. Eliminating the use of paper is highly desirable and the most favorable argument for computerizing these functions.

Medicaid providers are not required to keep separate records of VFC eligibility screening for their beneficiaries. Maintaining of Medicaid specific documentation in a patients chart, whether electronically or paper, is considered adequate documentation of VFC eligibility.