Resources for Education Employees
This page was last updated on May 11, 2023:
Federal COVID 19 Public Health Emergency Ends
California Schools VEBA is committed to the health and safety of our community and we are dedicated to providing you with useful, up-to-date information pertaining to vaccine sites, news, and community resources.
The Department of Health and Human Services ended the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 (PHE), declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, on May 11th, 2023. California state laws adds six months to the federal COVID-19 public health emergency requirements on health plans to continue covering COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatment from any licensed provider (in- or out-of-network) with no prior authorization or enrollee cost sharing. The public health emergency ended on May 11th, 2023, but state laws extend these requirements for six months through November 11, 2023.
Click here for a fact sheet which will help you know what to expect at the end of the PHE so that you can continue to feel confident in how you will receive your health care. Please note that this information is not intended to cover every possible scenario.
This fact sheet will cover the following:
- COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments
- Telehealth services
- Health Care Access: Continuing flexibilities for health care professionals
- Inpatient Hospital Care at Home: Expanded hospital capacity by providing inpatient care in a patient’s home.
Carrier Test Reimbursement Information:
- Kaiser Permanente
- Cigna
- UnitedHealthcare with Express Scripts
- UMR with OptumRx
- UMR with Express Scripts
- Express Scripts
- SIMNSA
ESI direct claim form available HERE. Test kit reimbursements is located on the right-hand side of this form.
Here’s how it works:
- Call your local retail pharmacy to see if they have at-home COVID-19 tests available.
- Take your Express Scripts ID card to a retail pharmacy in your network.
- Bring the COVID-19 test to the pharmacy counter, not the regular checkout lane.
- Check out at the pharmacy counter and show your ID card. Your at-home COVID-19 test should automatically ring up at no cost to you.
Here are a few helpful places to find information:
- To find a retail pharmacy in your network: Visit express-scripts.com and click “Find a Pharmacy.” You can also use our mobile app.
- If you weren’t able to purchase your at-home COVID-19 test(s) at the pharmacy counter, or happened to be charged: You can submit your receipt for reimbursement of up to $12 per test online at our COVID-19 resource center.
Where to Get Vaccinated
Latest News
Updated Daily: State of California Overview of Vaccination Progress Data
- Feb 6, 2023 – COVID-19 cases decline, County urges people to get vaccinated, boosted
- Feb 3, 2023 – California Won’t Require COVID Vaccine to Attend Schools
- Feb 3, 2023 – California ends plans for kids’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate
- Feb 1, 2023 – Worse at math, better at tech: How COVID-19 impacted learning
- Jan 26, 2023 – FDA’s Advisers Back Plan For Once-a-Year COVID Shots for Most Americans
- Jan 25, 2023 – San Diego City Council votes to end COVID-19 emergency, city employee vaccine mandate
- Dec 15, 2022 – You can order free COVID tests again by mail
September 2022
- Sep 8, 2022 – Omicron-specific COVID boosters are here – how you can get one
- Sep 7, 2022 – When COVID-19 Boosters Could Arrive in San Diego
- Sep 6, 2022 – EXPLAINER: Is COVID-19 winding down? Scientists say no.
- Sep 5, 2022 – San Diego County’s COVID-19 hospitalizations fall to 252
- Sep 1, 2022 – New COVID-19 Boosters That Target Multiple Strains Expected To Be Available Next Week
August 2022
- Aug 29, 2022 – San Diego Unified School District families prepare for the first day of school
- Aug 28, 2022 – Haven’t claimed your free COVID tests from the federal government? You only have a few days left to do it
- Aug 26, 2022 – San Diego County public health encourages COVID-19 vaccinations as school begins
- Aug 22, 2022 – Pfizer seeks authorization for updated COVID-19 vaccine
- Aug 21, 2022 – FDA authorizes Novavax COVID vaccine for adolescents
- Aug 21, 2022 – San Diego Area COVID Hospitalizations Increase by 10 to 311 in Latest Report
- Aug 14, 2022 – San Diego students head back into the classroom
- Aug 13, 2022 – SD County offers treatment options to reduce COVID-19 symptoms
- Aug 12, 2022 – COVID-19 Data in San Diego County Looking Favorable
- Aug 7, 2022 – San Diego Joins National Effort to Better Understand the Long-Term Impact of COVID-19
- Aug 6, 2022 – COVID Activity Remains High in San Diego County, as Hospitalizations Decline
- Aug 5, 2022 – SDSU Reimplements Mask Policy Amid Spike in COVID-19 Cases
- Aug 5, 2022 – 41% of Recent COVID Deaths Among Fully Vaccinated and Boosted Individuals
- Aug 1, 2022 – San Diego County Health Officials Report 897 New COVID-19 Cases, 8 Deaths
- Aug 1, 2022 – San Diego Residents Learn to Live Life with COVID Risks
- Aug 1, 2022 – San Diego Sees Slight Increase in COVID Hospitalizations as Novavax Vaccine Arrives
Get More Vaccine News from These Local Organizations
- San Diego County News Center
- KPBS
- NBC San Diego
- 10News San Diego
- San Diego Union Tribune
- KTLA Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Times
- Voice of OC
- Desert Sun
- Channel 3 News Riverside County
Southern California Public Health Sites
Carriers
- United Healthcare (UHC)
- Kaiser Permanente
- Kaiser Vaccine Line: To get the latest information, call their 24/7 vaccine hotline at 855-550-0951. Also available in Spanish.
- UMR
- Cigna
- OptumRx
- Express Scripts
- SIMNSA
Medical Groups – San Diego
- Sharp HealthCare
- UC San Diego Health
- Scripps Health
- Primary Care Associates Medical Group
- Cassidy Medical Group
- Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego
Medical Groups – Southern California
- OptumCare Medical Group
- MemorialCare Health System
- Beaver Medical Group
- Edinger Medical Group
- Regal Medical Group
- ADOC Medical Group
Guidelines and Resources
COVID-19 Vaccine Guidelines:
- San Diego County Vaccine Guidelines
- Infographic: San Diego “Be COVID Safe: Know Your Vaccination Phase”
- California Vaccine Guidelines
- Official website for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
California COVID-19 Resources: