Vaccines for Children Program in Michigan
The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program helps provide vaccines to children whose parents or guardians may not be able to afford them. This helps ensure that all children have a better chance of getting their recommended vaccinations on schedule. Vaccines available through the VFC Program are those recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These vaccines protect babies, young children, and adolescents from these diseases.
Determining Eligibility
A child is eligible for the VFC Program if he or she is younger than 19 years of age and is one of the following:
- Medicaid-eligible
- Uninsured
- Underinsured
- American Indian or Alaska Native
Children whose health insurance covers the cost of vaccinations are not eligible for VFC vaccines, even when a claim for the cost of the vaccine and its administration would be denied for payment by the insurance carrier because the plan’s deductible had not been met. (Underinsured children can only be vaccinated at a Federally Qualified Health Center [FQHC] or Rural Health Center [RHC]).
Benefits of the VFC program
Being a VFC provider is a sound investment in your practice and patients. It reduces your up-front costs because you will not have to pay to purchase vaccines for VFC-eligible children. Also, you can charge an administrative fee to offset your costs of doing business. Your patients benefit because they won’t have to go somewhere else to get the vaccines they need.
The VFC program will:
- Keep your patients in their medical home
- Reduce your up-front costs
- Help provide quality care to vulnerable children and adolescents
Becoming a VFC provider
You don’t have to be a Medicaid provider to participate in VFC. Any health care provider authorized by their state to prescribe vaccines can be a VFC provider.
- Contact Michigan's VFC coordinator to request enrollment.
- Complete the State Provider Enrollment forms and return them as soon as possible.
- Once you have completed and returned enrollment forms, prepare for a site visit to go over the program’s administrative requirements and proper storage and handling of vaccines.
Information via CDC.gov's About VFC page and Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program Information for Healthcare Providers
For Michigan-Specific resources for Michigan's VFC program please visit the Michigan VFC Resource Guide.