Four days before an estimated 4.4 million Californians with disabilities and underlying health conditions become eligible for the vaccine, the California Public Health Department released guidance on the verification process.
Notably, the state is not requiring that eligible disabled and sick individuals present documentation of their condition. Instead, all will be required to self-attest that they meet the criteria.
Disability rights advocates had pressed for a process that would not create unnecessary barriers, especially for those less mobile, prompted by issues with vaccine line-jumping. The state also offered specific examples of people who would qualify for eligibility but are not explicitly listed.
Those include people who use regional centers, independent living centers, in-home supportive services, community-based adult services, Medi-Cal HIV/AIDS waivers, Medi-Cal home and community-based alternatives waivers, Medi-Cal assisted living waivers, program of all-inclusive care for the elderly, California children’s services program if the client is 16 to 21 years old, and California genetically handicapped persons program.
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