How to Enroll in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program

Provider Enrollment Criteria

To be eligible to participate in the VFC program, providers must:

  • Be licensed in NYS to administer vaccines to children 0-18 years old.
  • Serve a VFC-eligible population (0-18 years of age and have Medicaid or Child Health Plus coverage, or are uninsured, underinsured, American Indian or Alaska Native)
  • Be willing and able to follow all VFC program requirements, policies, and procedures, including participation in site visits and educational opportunities.
  • Identify one staff person to serve as primary coordinator and one staff person to serve as backup coordinator; the roles cannot be filled by the same individual. At least one of the two should be on site during operating hours.
  • Have the capacity to order, receive, manage, store, and monitor the temperature of publicly funded vaccines.
  • Be open at least four consecutive hours on a weekday other than a Monday to receive VFC vaccines to accommodate shipment delivery window.
  • NOT be included in the Medicare/Medicaid Restricted and Excluded Individuals or Entities (LEIE) list.

Provider Enrollment Process

To enroll in the NYS VFC program, providers must:

  • Maintain an active Health Commerce System (HCS) account per instructions here: How to Get a Health Commerce System (HCS) Account
  • Set up your site and staff for the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS) per instructions here: NYSIIS Initial Setup
  • Determine the annual number of VFC, Child Health Plus (CHIP), underinsured and insured patients expected to be served. This information will determine the type of publicly-funded vaccine a provider may order. If your site is already reporting vaccine administration in NYSIIS, you can refer to the following guidance: Estimating Patient Population (PDF)
    • Please be aware that if you encountered any issues in reporting doses administered to NYSIIS and opt to use NYSIIS to populate this data, you might underestimate your patient population. We recommend that you also manually review your electronic medical record or billing system to confirm the numbers of patients in each category. Providers who have not entered vaccine administration into NYSIIS will have to estimate their population from other sources.
  • Possess functioning vaccine storage and temperature monitoring equipment which meet NYS and CDC VFC requirements as listed here: Vaccine Storage and Handling Requirements - Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program
  • Identify staff who will serve the following roles as described here: Vaccine Personnel - Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program
    • Medical director (or equivalent)
    • Primary vaccine coordinator
    • Backup vaccine coordinator
  • Submit an enrollment application per the VFC Enrollment Instructions Guide (PDF).
  • Participate in an enrollment site visit.

To prepare for participating in the program and the enrollment visit, providers should have the following available:

  • Refrigerators and freezers capable of maintaining appropriate temperatures. Standalone refrigerators and standalone freezers are required for VFC storage. See Storage Unit Purchasing Guidance.
  • Certified calibrated temperature monitoring devices including their calibration certificates. See Temperature Monitoring Device Guidance.
  • A primary and a backup vaccine coordinator who will be responsible for receiving vaccine, monitoring temperatures and ordering vaccine.
  • An individualized emergency vaccine storage plan which includes protocols on the safe transport of vaccines. Providers may choose to use the New York State (NYS) Vaccine Management Plan template or one of their own, provided it addresses all areas covered in the NYS-supplied template. Vaccine coordinators and/or backup coordinators are responsible for execution of the plan when indicated.
  • A procedure describing how the provider office will screen for, and record patients' VFC eligibility category and doses administered in NYSIIS.
  • Access to the Health Commerce System (HCS) and NYSIIS.

New providers will be contacted by the NYS Vaccine Program to schedule an enrollment site visit prior to being authorized to order vaccine.

By enrolling or re-enrolling in the program and electronically signing the provider agreement in HCS, providers agree with all VFC Program requirements. The medical director or equivalent who signs the provider agreement (Provider of Record) and all other immunization providers at each VFC-enrolled practice are accountable for compliance with these requirements.

Provider Annual Review or Recertification Process

Each year providers must participate in the Recertification or Provider Annual Review process to remain enrolled in the VFC Program. This ensures that the NYS VFC program has the most up to date information about each provider. Providers will receive email notices and instructions regarding the Provider Annual Review or Recertification process and deadlines.

Site Visits

VFC providers must participate in site visits conducted by NYS Vaccine Program staff and local health department staff. Site visits are conducted to evaluate and promote compliance with the laws, policies and recommendations of the NYS VFC Program, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedules, as published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The practice's vaccine coordinator and/or backup must attend the site visit. The Provider of Record (designated medical director) and all staff who have access to vaccine should also be available to provide or receive feedback.

Types of site visits include:

  • VFC Enrollment Site Visit: The visit includes an initial assessment to certify that the provider has the capacity to adequately store and administer vaccine to eligible children.
  • VFC Compliance Site Visit: Providers are visited at least once every two years to ensure that they maintain compliance with program requirements such as screening and maintaining records for eligibility and adhering to storage and handling requirements.
  • VFC Unannounced Storage and Handling Site Visit: These visits are conducted, as needed, to follow-up on storage, handling or accountability issues noted during a previous visit or based on other concerns related to the provider's ability to meet program requirements. Providers are not notified about these visits before the visits are conducted.