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Since 1979, Washington State has welcomed refugees who flee persecution in their home country to rebuild their lives in our local communities. Over the past 10 years, more than 30,000 refugees from over 70 countries have resettled in Washington state through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. This includes more than 6,500 Ukrainians who have resettled in our local communities since 2010. We have not yet received information regarding the number of refugee arrivals that are expected to come to Washington.
The federal government has shared current pathways and programs to support displaced Ukrainians, including Temporary Protected Status, Asylum, the US Refugee Admissions Program, Humanitarian Parole, and others. More information is available here. Ukrainians may arrive in local communities with differing immigration statuses and due to this, will be eligible for different benefits and services. If possible, schools should ensure newly arriving children are connected to a local primary care provider. Note, children are potentially eligible for Apple Health. ParentHelp123 can assist families with health insurance connection and can be reached by phone at 1-800-322-2588 or online at http://www.parenthelp123.org/benefit-finder/ Language assistance is available. Clinics in the Washington State Childhood Vaccine Program (CVP) provide childhood vaccines to all persons through age 18 at no cost in the state of Washington, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Clinics can charge an administration fee but they must waive it if asked because of inability to pay. Clinics providing VFC vaccine can be found on this vaccine map: https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/vaccinemap.
Children arriving from Ukraine may have limited access to copies of medical records, including immunization information. Clinicians should review all available vaccine records, perform any testing, and update or revaccinate, as appropriate. Written records of vaccine doses administered outside the United States should be accepted as valid, if the schedule for ages and intervals is compatible with ACIP recommendations. Checking for laboratory evidence of immunity (i.e., antibody levels) is an acceptable alternative to vaccination for some diseases, when previous vaccinations or disease exposure are likely. CDC/ACIP General Best Practice Guidelines: Persons Vaccinated Outside the United States and Unknown or Uncertain Vaccination Status.
There is no language in the school immunization law related to immigration status. In some cases, newly arriving students may be eligible for services under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. See the section on homeless students in the Requirements for Special Situations section of the Immunization Manual for Schools, Preschools, and Child Care Facilities (PDF). It's DOH's suggestion that school districts work with parents and providers to get students into compliance with the CDC immunization catch-up schedule as soon as possible. The Individual Vaccine Requirements Summary (IVRS) document is a good reference for the vaccine schedule rules, exceptions to the rules and the catch-up schedules. We update it every school year. You can find the IVRS in the Immunization Requirements section of the School and Child Care Immunization page www.doh.wa.gov/SCCI. The school immunization requirements can be met with positive antibody titers for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella. Antibody titers to type 2 poliovirus are no longer available so documenting immunity to polio by titer is no longer an option. There is no acceptable titer for Pertussis.
Additional Resources
Additional questions can be directed to oischools@doh.wa.gov.
Thank you for all you do to keep our children healthy!
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