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1. Am I required to report my vaccination status?

Not exactly.

However, City employees who have not verified their status as fully vaccinated* via CoVerified may be subject to an ongoing monthly surcharge (PDF) on their health insurance premium. 

Additionally, only employees who have submitted proof of their vaccination will be eligible for the incentives offered to fully-vaccinated City employees.

* The City of Durham has based (and until further notice, will continue to base) its definition of "fully vaccinated" on the CDC definition - see below:

Vaccine	What Counts as "Fully Vaccinated"?
Pfizer-BioNTech	2 weeks after second dose of the vaccine
Moderna	2 weeks after second dose of the vaccine
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen	2 weeks after single dose of the vaccine

However, if the CDC or City of Durham determines that booster shots are required for a person to be considered fully vaccinated, the City of Durham requirements may change. The City reserves the right to make changes to program requirements as necessary, and will provide those changes in writing.

2. Am I required to report my booster status?

No, but the City is strongly encouraging employees who have received their booster shot to submit their booster card to HR via CoVerified.

Additionally, only employees who have submitted proof of their booster vaccination will be eligible for the incentives offered to boosted City employees.

3. How do I report my vaccination or booster status?

Effective January 10, 2022, City employees should now use CoVerified to report their vaccination and/or booster status. 

CoVerified can be accessed through your browser on a desktop or mobile device; there is also a CoVerified mobile app available for Apple phones ONLY.

If you have not yet logged into CoVerified, please follow the instructions below to set up your account:

• Browser (Desktop or Mobile) Instructions (PDF)
• CoVerified App Instructions (PDF)

Once you've created your account, you can upload your vaccine or booster card into CoVerified through your browser (PDF) or CoVerified mobile app (PDF).

4. Who is subject to the vaccine surcharge?

All employees covered by the City’s health insurance must be fully vaccinated* or have an approved medical exemption (PDF) or approved religious exemption (PDF), or they will be subject to an ongoing monthly surcharge. 

Effective July 1, 2022, any employee hired before but not fully vaccinated by December 31, 2021, will be required to pay a $70 monthly surcharge for health insurance for the 2023 fiscal year (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023). 

Additionally, effective July 1, 2023, any employee who is not fully vaccinated by December 31, 2022, will be required to pay a $100 monthly surcharge for health insurance for the 2024 fiscal year (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024).

* The City of Durham has based (and until further notice, will continue to base) its definition of "fully vaccinated" on the CDC definition - see below:

Vaccine	What Counts as "Fully Vaccinated"?
Pfizer-BioNTech	2 weeks after second dose of the vaccine
Moderna	2 weeks after second dose of the vaccine
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen	2 weeks after single dose of the vaccine

However, if the CDC or City of Durham determines that booster shots are required for a person to be considered fully vaccinated, the City of Durham requirements may change. The City reserves the right to make changes to program requirements as necessary, and will provide those changes in writing.

5. To avoid paying the monthly vaccine surcharge, I know I need to be "fully vaccinated." What does that mean?

The City of Durham has based (and until further notice, will continue to base) its definition of "fully vaccinated" on the CDC definition - see below:

Vaccine	What Counts as "Fully Vaccinated"?
Pfizer-BioNTech	2 weeks after second dose of the vaccine
Moderna	2 weeks after second dose of the vaccine
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen	2 weeks after single dose of the vaccine

However, if the CDC or City of Durham determines that booster shots are required for a person to be considered fully vaccinated, the City of Durham’s requirements may change. The City reserves the right to make changes to program requirements as necessary, and will provide those changes in writing.

6. Can I request an exemption from the vaccine surcharge?

Employees who wish to be exempt from the FY23/FY24 vaccine surcharge on the basis of their sincerely-held religious belief or for a medical reason must complete a request for religious accommodation (PDF) or a request for medical accommodation (PDF) and submit the request to HR Connect.

Once the accommodation form has been submitted to HR Connect, Human Resources will engage in an interactive process with the employee to ensure a timely determination of the employee’s exemption status. Exemption requests may take up to 30 days for review, and while the request is being reviewed the employee will still be responsible for paying any applicable surcharge.

7. How can I confirm that my vaccination or booster status has been verified by HR?

The easiest way to confirm receipt and verification of your vaccination or booster shot is through your CoVerified account. Check out our CoVerified browser (PDF) or mobile app (PDF) instructions to learn more.

 As always, you are also welcome to contact HR Connect if you still have questions.

8. Is CoVerified HIPAA compliant?

Yes. Though the CIty is not a non-healthcare entity and is therefore not required to comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), CoVerified is HIPAA compliant. Employees should feel confident that any information they share in the CoVerified platform will stay private and secure. Learn more in CoVerified's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

9. If I already reported my vaccination or booster status through the Survey Monkey form, do I need to re-submit proof through CoVerified?

No. Any vaccination or booster records received through Survey Monkey will be migrated to CoVerified by HR, so no additional action is needed on your part. 

If you'd like to confirm receipt and verification of your vaccination or booster shot, you can do so directly in CoVerified by following our desktop (PDF) or mobile app (PDF) instructions.

10. What should I do if I want to verify my vaccination or booster status but I’ve lost my vaccine card?

If you received your vaccine or booster in North Carolina and have since misplaced your vaccine card, there are a few options for obtaining alternative verification of your vaccination or booster. Please refer to this article from North Carolina Health News for additional details.