Assessment Rates are typically set on an annual basis. Each year, the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee (IFAC) recommends the assessment rates for the following state fiscal year. These recommendations are provided to the Vermont Commissioner of Health. Once the Commissioner approves the rates, a notice containing the new rates will be posted to this website. The self-reporting assessment system is available for filing. Quarterly filings are due May 15, August 15, November 15, and February 15 for both child and adult covered lives.
The Assessment Rate is determined annually in May by the VVPP IFAC Committee. Click here to view the
Assessment Rate Notification to Payers.
- 2025 Child Rate: $10.66
- 2025 Adult Rate: $ 1.54
Frequently Asked Questions
By purchasing vaccines in bulk at federal contract rates, the State qualifies for one of the most significant discounts from the pharmaceutical industry. The program funds vaccine purchases from assessments collected from insurers and other payers.
No. The ACA does not preempt any provision of state law unless a state law prevents the application of an ACA requirement. The Universal Vaccine Program supports the ACA requirement that coverage be provided without the imposition of cost-sharing for immunizations for routine use in children and adults.
First-time users must register before they can log in to the assessment system https://file.vtvaccine.org/login. Please note that because of the system’s security features, there may be a delay of up to 30 minutes before a new account can be accessed for data entry.
You can reset your password by clicking https://file.vtvaccine.org/login. If you do not receive a temporary password in your inbox, please be sure to check your spam/junk folders. Should you need to contact us, please email info@vtvaccine.org and include your FEIN.
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a) |
The total number of children and adults with private insurance will be determined based on the most recent data available through the assessment system when the rate is set. |
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b) |
The program costs include costs incurred by the Vermont Department of Health in administering the program, as well as the cost of KidsVax® services such as the VVPP website creation and assessment administration. |
This program operates on a calendar year running from January 1 to December 31. Quarterly assessments are due 45 days after the close of each quarter, meaning reports and payments will typically be due on February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Quarterly payments are based on the number of covered lives an entity reports for the three months in each preceding quarter.
The assessment rate is set during the second quarter of the calendar year.
All excess funds collected in one year will be used to reduce the overall assessment for the following year.
The rate-setting workbooks used to compute the VVPP assessment rate are posted under the “Documents” tab.
Information on the assessment rates for child and adult covered lives is posted under the “For Payers” tab. Assessments are calculated based on estimated vaccine costs, program expenses, and the total number of covered lives reported to VVPP. The assessments are intended to cover the costs of the program for the calendar year, with some modest reserves. The rates are also programmed into VVPP’s self-reporting assessment system so that the system will apply the correct rate each quarter and calculate the amount owed by each payer. The rate is set each year by the Commissioner of Health, after considering the recommendations of the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee.
Yes. Any health benefit plan that covers child or adult residents of Vermont is required to participate. The VVPP legislation encompasses plans that offer Administrative Services Only (ASO) for ERISA employers. It also includes traditional Third-Party Administrators (TPAs).
No. VVPP’s plan of operation seeks to avoid double counting any covered life. Generally speaking, the entity responsible for paying for the vaccine administration is also the entity responsible for paying the assessment. However, to avoid double counting, and to accommodate the needs of specialty plans and private contractual arrangements, VVPP will allow another entity to pay the assessment if the agreement between entities is in writing and the existence of the agreement is stated in the “Additional Questions” section of the assessment system. It is recommended that agreements specifically include an indemnification of the entity not paying. The agreement must be made available for review if there is an audit in the future. VVPP does not need to see the agreement and does not have any advance approval role as to the agreement or its content.
No. Self-insured employers, TPAs, HMOs, and other payers are also subject to assessment. These payers fund the purchase of vaccines for all privately insured children and adults. The federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program pays for vaccines for all VFC eligible children less than 19 years of age, including American Indians, and Medicaid-insured, uninsured, and underinsured children served at FQHCs and RHCs. Federal 317 funding is used to pay for the cost of vaccines for uninsured adults.
VVPP was formed to fund and manage Vermont’s universal vaccine purchasing program. This program enables Vermont to purchase vaccines for the state’s entire population and distribute them to health care providers free of charge. In states without such universal programs, providers must purchase vaccines with money out of their own pockets, then await reimbursement from insurance companies
The program also saves money. By purchasing vaccines in bulk at federal contract rates, Vermont qualifies for the largest discount available from the pharmaceutical industry. VVPP funds vaccine purchases with assessments collected from assessed entities.
No. VVPP will work with neighboring states to establish equitable child covered lives policies, but we do not provide a discount for vaccines that may have been administered in other states.
Please email info@VTvaccine.org or call 1-855-543-7829. If you have already submitted a report and need to make a correction, please email help@VTvaccine.org. We welcome any opportunity to assist you.
Simply log back in to your account and make any changes needed. This should not create any problems for you or the system.
No. While the Vermont Department of Health prefers that you send your payment by ACH transfer, they also allow you to mail a check. Checks should be made payable to “Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program” and should be mailed to:
Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program
c/o Immunization Program Ste. 304
Vermont Department of Health
PO Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402
Please prepare your report as soon as possible. KidsVax® will report your late payment to VDH. VDH will take enforcement action should that become necessary.
The remittance is considered paid on the effective date for any ACH transfer. If you pay by check, it will be considered paid on the date postmarked.
If VVPP’s estimates produce funds which are too low to meet the needed vaccine costs, VVPP may issue a supplemental assessment. VVPP’s reserve methodology has been designed so that no supplemental assessment should be needed, but that cannot be guaranteed in advance.
Yes. Each state program is built to meet the needs of its stakeholders. There are various assessment methodologies, adult and children programs, and services that KidsVax® offers. KidsVax® customizes its services to fit each state’s specific needs.
When you file your report in the assessment system on the website, the program will generate a “Remittance Form” that you can print and save. This form will contain a unique reference number. You must include this reference number with your payment. The Form will also include detailed instructions for submitting your payment by ACH transfer, which is the preferred method.
Yes. Assessment payments are properly accountable as medical expenses because they fund the cost of vaccines administered to beneficiaries. As such, assessable entities like third-party administrators are anticipated to pay the assessment costs on behalf of their clients.
Yes. ERISA does not prevent the state from assessing payers. To the extent allowed by federal law, ERISA plans are required to participate along with all other payers. Third-party administrators (TPAs), who are often contracted to perform claims processing activities for ERISA plan trustees, will also be included in the mandatory assessment.
“Assessable entity” means any health carrier or other entity that contracts or offers to provide, deliver, arrange, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of health services.
Adult covered lives” are residents who are 19 years and older who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
“Child covered lives” are residents who are 0 through 18 years of age who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
Entities must report both child and adult covered lives. Individuals 0 through 18 years of age are considered children. Individuals 19 and older are considered adults.
Generally, yes. However, if the plan definitively knows (1) the child’s PCP is out of state, (2) the child is out of state year round, AND (3) the plan also adopts a practice of counting students attending schools in Vermont whose parents reside out of state, that covered life should not be counted. Accordingly, the default rule for college-age children, where a specific year-round residence address is unknown, should be to count the child as a resident of the state of the primary insured.
Plans are permitted to use a commercially reasonable methodology to estimate the number of child covered lives. For example, some plans may want to use the address of the primary insured to determine the residence of the child. So long as a methodology is uniformly used in a manner which does not bias the report towards a lower child covered lives number, such a reasonable estimate is acceptable. Whenever an estimate is used, please include a brief description of the methodology in the “Additional Questions” section of the self-reporting system.
Yes. However, the entity may be eligible to file an Annual or Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report instead of the typical quarterly reports. Please note that if an entity has zero covered lives for one quarter only, then it should file a normal quarterly report with “0” values. If, however, an entity does not administer medical benefits and therefore has zero covered lives, it should file one of two types of Zero Covered Lives Reports. For example, this type of report would be appropriate for entities such as those administering eye care or dental benefit only plans. If the entity has zero covered lives and will continue to have zero covered lives for the balance of the year, then it should file an Annual Zero Covered Lives Report during the first quarter of the calendar year. No other report will be due until the first quarter of the following calendar year. If the entity has zero covered lives and expects to never have covered lives, it should file a Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report to eliminate the need for further compliance follow up. A guide to Zero Covered Lives Reports is available here.
If annually, you have no lives to report, you may file a permanent zero. At that point, you will not be required to file annually unless you begin to have covered lives to report.
On April 1, 2011, the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) launched the Vaccine Purchasing Pool pilot program to ensure universal access to immunizations recommended for children and adults. The program is authorized in Vermont statute 18 V.S.A §1130 and establishes a vaccine purchasing pool that enables the Health Department to purchase pediatric and adult vaccines at the lowest possible price for all Vermonters.
In 2013, VDH contracted with KidsVax® for administrative support services. The pilot program has been branded as the Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program (VVPP).
Please email help@VTvaccine.org with an explanation of the mistake and the Federal EIN used to file the report. VVPP will provide assistance so that you can print a corrected remittance form.
Log into that entity's assessment filing system, toggle the permanent zero option to off so that you can start reporting regularly, beginning with the first quarter in which it has contribution enrollees.
Yes. Please email help@VTvaccine.org explaining the mistake and the amount you need for reimbursement. VVPP will then determine the best way to true up to the correct amount. Normally that will be via deductions from subsequent quarterly reports.
By purchasing vaccines in bulk at federal contract rates, the State qualifies for one of the most significant discounts from the pharmaceutical industry. The program funds vaccine purchases from assessments collected from insurers and other payers.
No. The ACA does not preempt any provision of state law unless a state law prevents the application of an ACA requirement. The Universal Vaccine Program supports the ACA requirement that coverage be provided without the imposition of cost-sharing for immunizations for routine use in children and adults.
First-time users must register before they can log in to the assessment system https://file.vtvaccine.org/login. Please note that because of the system’s security features, there may be a delay of up to 30 minutes before a new account can be accessed for data entry.
You can reset your password by clicking https://file.vtvaccine.org/login. If you do not receive a temporary password in your inbox, please be sure to check your spam/junk folders. Should you need to contact us, please email info@vtvaccine.org and include your FEIN.
|
a) |
The total number of children and adults with private insurance will be determined based on the most recent data available through the assessment system when the rate is set. |
|
b) |
The program costs include costs incurred by the Vermont Department of Health in administering the program, as well as the cost of KidsVax® services such as the VVPP website creation and assessment administration. |
This program operates on a calendar year running from January 1 to December 31. Quarterly assessments are due 45 days after the close of each quarter, meaning reports and payments will typically be due on February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. Quarterly payments are based on the number of covered lives an entity reports for the three months in each preceding quarter.
The assessment rate is set during the second quarter of the calendar year.
All excess funds collected in one year will be used to reduce the overall assessment for the following year.
The rate-setting workbooks used to compute the VVPP assessment rate are posted under the “Documents” tab.
Information on the assessment rates for child and adult covered lives is posted under the “For Payers” tab. Assessments are calculated based on estimated vaccine costs, program expenses, and the total number of covered lives reported to VVPP. The assessments are intended to cover the costs of the program for the calendar year, with some modest reserves. The rates are also programmed into VVPP’s self-reporting assessment system so that the system will apply the correct rate each quarter and calculate the amount owed by each payer. The rate is set each year by the Commissioner of Health, after considering the recommendations of the Immunization Funding Advisory Committee.
Yes. Any health benefit plan that covers child or adult residents of Vermont is required to participate. The VVPP legislation encompasses plans that offer Administrative Services Only (ASO) for ERISA employers. It also includes traditional Third-Party Administrators (TPAs).
No. VVPP’s plan of operation seeks to avoid double counting any covered life. Generally speaking, the entity responsible for paying for the vaccine administration is also the entity responsible for paying the assessment. However, to avoid double counting, and to accommodate the needs of specialty plans and private contractual arrangements, VVPP will allow another entity to pay the assessment if the agreement between entities is in writing and the existence of the agreement is stated in the “Additional Questions” section of the assessment system. It is recommended that agreements specifically include an indemnification of the entity not paying. The agreement must be made available for review if there is an audit in the future. VVPP does not need to see the agreement and does not have any advance approval role as to the agreement or its content.
No. Self-insured employers, TPAs, HMOs, and other payers are also subject to assessment. These payers fund the purchase of vaccines for all privately insured children and adults. The federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program pays for vaccines for all VFC eligible children less than 19 years of age, including American Indians, and Medicaid-insured, uninsured, and underinsured children served at FQHCs and RHCs. Federal 317 funding is used to pay for the cost of vaccines for uninsured adults.
VVPP was formed to fund and manage Vermont’s universal vaccine purchasing program. This program enables Vermont to purchase vaccines for the state’s entire population and distribute them to health care providers free of charge. In states without such universal programs, providers must purchase vaccines with money out of their own pockets, then await reimbursement from insurance companies
The program also saves money. By purchasing vaccines in bulk at federal contract rates, Vermont qualifies for the largest discount available from the pharmaceutical industry. VVPP funds vaccine purchases with assessments collected from assessed entities.
No. VVPP will work with neighboring states to establish equitable child covered lives policies, but we do not provide a discount for vaccines that may have been administered in other states.
Please email info@VTvaccine.org or call 1-855-543-7829. If you have already submitted a report and need to make a correction, please email help@VTvaccine.org. We welcome any opportunity to assist you.
Simply log back in to your account and make any changes needed. This should not create any problems for you or the system.
No. While the Vermont Department of Health prefers that you send your payment by ACH transfer, they also allow you to mail a check. Checks should be made payable to “Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program” and should be mailed to:
Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program
c/o Immunization Program Ste. 304
Vermont Department of Health
PO Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402
Please prepare your report as soon as possible. KidsVax® will report your late payment to VDH. VDH will take enforcement action should that become necessary.
The remittance is considered paid on the effective date for any ACH transfer. If you pay by check, it will be considered paid on the date postmarked.
If VVPP’s estimates produce funds which are too low to meet the needed vaccine costs, VVPP may issue a supplemental assessment. VVPP’s reserve methodology has been designed so that no supplemental assessment should be needed, but that cannot be guaranteed in advance.
Yes. Each state program is built to meet the needs of its stakeholders. There are various assessment methodologies, adult and children programs, and services that KidsVax® offers. KidsVax® customizes its services to fit each state’s specific needs.
When you file your report in the assessment system on the website, the program will generate a “Remittance Form” that you can print and save. This form will contain a unique reference number. You must include this reference number with your payment. The Form will also include detailed instructions for submitting your payment by ACH transfer, which is the preferred method.
Yes. Assessment payments are properly accountable as medical expenses because they fund the cost of vaccines administered to beneficiaries. As such, assessable entities like third-party administrators are anticipated to pay the assessment costs on behalf of their clients.
Yes. ERISA does not prevent the state from assessing payers. To the extent allowed by federal law, ERISA plans are required to participate along with all other payers. Third-party administrators (TPAs), who are often contracted to perform claims processing activities for ERISA plan trustees, will also be included in the mandatory assessment.
“Assessable entity” means any health carrier or other entity that contracts or offers to provide, deliver, arrange, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of health services.
Adult covered lives” are residents who are 19 years and older who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
“Child covered lives” are residents who are 0 through 18 years of age who are:
(a) Covered under an individual health insurance policy;
(b) Covered under a group health insurance policy;
(c) Protected, in part, by a group excess loss insurance policy; or
(d) Protected, in part, by an employee benefit plan of a self-insured entity or any government plan for any employer or government entity.
Entities must report both child and adult covered lives. Individuals 0 through 18 years of age are considered children. Individuals 19 and older are considered adults.
Generally, yes. However, if the plan definitively knows (1) the child’s PCP is out of state, (2) the child is out of state year round, AND (3) the plan also adopts a practice of counting students attending schools in Vermont whose parents reside out of state, that covered life should not be counted. Accordingly, the default rule for college-age children, where a specific year-round residence address is unknown, should be to count the child as a resident of the state of the primary insured.
Plans are permitted to use a commercially reasonable methodology to estimate the number of child covered lives. For example, some plans may want to use the address of the primary insured to determine the residence of the child. So long as a methodology is uniformly used in a manner which does not bias the report towards a lower child covered lives number, such a reasonable estimate is acceptable. Whenever an estimate is used, please include a brief description of the methodology in the “Additional Questions” section of the self-reporting system.
Yes. However, the entity may be eligible to file an Annual or Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report instead of the typical quarterly reports. Please note that if an entity has zero covered lives for one quarter only, then it should file a normal quarterly report with “0” values. If, however, an entity does not administer medical benefits and therefore has zero covered lives, it should file one of two types of Zero Covered Lives Reports. For example, this type of report would be appropriate for entities such as those administering eye care or dental benefit only plans. If the entity has zero covered lives and will continue to have zero covered lives for the balance of the year, then it should file an Annual Zero Covered Lives Report during the first quarter of the calendar year. No other report will be due until the first quarter of the following calendar year. If the entity has zero covered lives and expects to never have covered lives, it should file a Permanent Zero Covered Lives Report to eliminate the need for further compliance follow up. A guide to Zero Covered Lives Reports is available here.
If annually, you have no lives to report, you may file a permanent zero. At that point, you will not be required to file annually unless you begin to have covered lives to report.
On April 1, 2011, the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) launched the Vaccine Purchasing Pool pilot program to ensure universal access to immunizations recommended for children and adults. The program is authorized in Vermont statute 18 V.S.A §1130 and establishes a vaccine purchasing pool that enables the Health Department to purchase pediatric and adult vaccines at the lowest possible price for all Vermonters.
In 2013, VDH contracted with KidsVax® for administrative support services. The pilot program has been branded as the Vermont Vaccine Purchasing Program (VVPP).
Please email help@VTvaccine.org with an explanation of the mistake and the Federal EIN used to file the report. VVPP will provide assistance so that you can print a corrected remittance form.
Log into that entity's assessment filing system, toggle the permanent zero option to off so that you can start reporting regularly, beginning with the first quarter in which it has contribution enrollees.
Yes. Please email help@VTvaccine.org explaining the mistake and the amount you need for reimbursement. VVPP will then determine the best way to true up to the correct amount. Normally that will be via deductions from subsequent quarterly reports.
Filing Guides
These guides provide detailed instructions on how to file your report.
Guide to Quarterly Reports
This PowerPoint Presentation provides screenshots and reference information for quarterly filing. This Guide walks you through the assessment system step-by-step.
Guide to Zero Covered Lives Reports
This PowerPoint Presentation provides screenshots and reference information for both annual zero covered lives reports and permanent zero covered lives reports. This Guide shows you step-by-step how to file these reports.
How do I get started?
If you don't yet have an account, click on this link to create the account for your FEIN. You will receive a confirmation email to the supplied email address. Remember your account takes up to 30 minutes to become active.
Once you have created your account and have your login information, click on the assessment self-reporting system link on the left of this page.