Vaccines For Children Program

The Vaccines For Children (VFC) program is a federally funded, state administered program that provides free vaccines to eligible children ages 18 and younger. Vaccines are provided at no cost to the provider or the patient. Providers are able to charge an administration fee for the vaccine.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is responsible for administering the VFC program within the state excluding the City of Chicago. The Chicago Department of Public Health is responsible for administering the VFC program within Chicago city limits. To learn more about the City of Chicago program, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column.  

Guidance and tools are supplied to Illinois VFC providers for the administration of the VFC program; to learn more, see PUBLICATIONS in the right-hand column.   

To learn more about enrollment, see the VFC Program Manual under PUBLICATIONS in the right-hand column.

Providers who are currently enrolled in I-CARE may access the VFC enrollment forms by logging into I-CARE.

Providers who wish to participate in the Illinois VFC program but are not currently enrolled in I-CARE must first enroll in I-CARE.

To learn more about enrolling in the Illinois VFC program, its requirements, or vaccine orders, see CONTACT US in the right-hand column. 

Children through 18 years of age who meet at least one of the following criteria may be eligible to receive VFC vaccines:

• Enrolled in Medicaid.
• Not insured: A child who has no health insurance coverage.
• American Indian or Alaska Native: As defined by the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603).
• Under-insured: A child who has commercial (private) health insurance but the coverage does not include vaccines, a child whose insurance covers only selected vaccines (VFC-eligible for non-covered vaccines only), or a child whose insurance caps vaccine coverage at a certain amount. Once that coverage amount is reached, the child is categorized as under-insured. Under-insured children are eligible to receive VFC vaccine only through a Federally Qualified Health Center, Rural Health Clinic, or deputized local health departments.

Check with your primary health care provider to see if they are participating in the VFC program.

To locate VFC providers in your area, click here...

• VFC Provider Search

The VFC providers listed are only those currently active and enrolled in the VFC program who have agreed to be listed on the IDPH website. Your primary health care provider may be participating in the VFC program, but has elected not to be listed on the IDPH website. VFC providers must be contacted to find out if they are accepting new patients. The VFC provider will determine eligibility for the VFC vaccines.

Children through age 18 with the Medicaid Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage (Title 21 or State Funded) are not eligible to receive VFC vaccines. Some VFC providers have indicated they may be able to provide vaccinations for children with CHIP coverage. Click on the VFC Provider Search page to identify providers in your area that may be able to provide vaccinations for children with CHIP coverage.

If you are located within the city of Chicago, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column for additional information regarding the Chicago VFC program.

• City of Chicago VFC Program