Adults under 65 with disabilities and underlying health conditions may soon get coronavirus vaccinations, but disability rights advocates are concerned that attempts to prove people eligible can prevent some from being injected with the potentially life-saving vaccine.
As of March 15, two groups of young California residents at high risk – disabled and people with severe underlying conditions – could be vaccinated against the coronavirus, state health officials announced Friday.
But they have not yet said how high-risk California residents are being asked to prove their eligibility, or how authorities intend to prevent people who do not meet these qualifications from making appointments or otherwise to fit. Mark Ghaly, secretary of health and human services in California, said the state will spend the next month determining what kind of verification is needed.
A driver’s license or other proof of identity will be proved by a driver that he or she qualifies for vaccination. Medical authorities say there is no universal document available for a person with a disability or ailment to prove that he or she qualifies for vaccination.
Some advocates of disability rights downplay the likelihood of fraud, but say it can be difficult to hinder the process of proving disability or underlying health conditions, and it may appear that some people get shot or discouraged.
“As a person with a disability, I want to make sure we do not have to have proof of our disability that requires people to jump through too many hoops,” said Christina Mills, executive director of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and a member of a committee that advises the state on its vaccination.
The underlying conditions eligible for vaccination in March include cancer, stage four or higher chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, Down syndrome, a weakened immune system due to a solid organ transplant, sickle cell disease, pregnancy, heart disease, severe obesity – defined as a body mass index at or older than 40 – and type 2 diabetes. The state did not specify what disabilities people would qualify to be included in this next group.
Andy Imparato, executive director of Disability Rights California, also an advisory committee member, said many people with severe disabilities have tickets or documents that they enroll in programs or centers or show they are receiving home care. However, people with certain disabilities and underlying conditions who qualify do not necessarily carry cards proving their eligibility.
A woman in early pregnancy, for example, may have nothing more than the results of a home pregnancy test to prove her right to a shot under the extensive arrangements for fitness.
It can be difficult for people to be eligible to visit their doctors or call their doctors to get some sort of verification because many medical providers are already overloaded, he said. Mills said disability rights advocates opposed proposals that required those seeking vaccinations to provide three pieces of evidence of disability or underlying conditions.
“My hope is that concerns about fraud do not create barriers for people getting the vaccine,” Imparato said.
Imparato and Mills both said they did not expect many people to be disabled to get vaccines, but acknowledged that it was government officials’ concern.
The bending of the rules is not unknown in connection with health-related exemptions. Law enforcement officials have long complained about abuse in the use of blue disabled parking permits by non-disabled people, and airlines are concerned about the increase in emotional supporters – to the point that some are taking action to ban them on flights.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Steve Rubenstein contributed to this report.
Michael Cabanatuan is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]