New York State Vaccines for Children Program

Implemented in 1994, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program was designed to improve vaccination coverage levels by providing vaccines at no cost to VFC-eligible children through public and private providers enrolled in the program. The VFC Program allows the government to buy vaccines at a discount and distribute them to states, which then distribute them to private physicians' offices and public clinics to give to children who meet the eligibility requirements. Categories of eligible children aged less than 19 years include:

  • Medicaid recipients (both fee-for-service and managed care)
  • Uninsured
  • Underinsured (A child who has commercial health insurance but the coverage does not include vaccines, a child whose insurance covers only selected vaccines [VFC-eligible for non-covered vaccines only], or a child whose insurance caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount or number of visits [VFC-eligible once that cap is exceeded])
  • American Indians/Alaskan Natives
  • The New York State Vaccine Program also partners with Child Health Plus to provide publicly purchased vaccine to providers for children enrolled in Child Health Plus.

For Providers

For Parents