UC COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement

Compliance with the University of California COVID-19 vaccination policy is required two weeks before faculty, staff and students are expected to be on campus for the fall term. Thus, you will need to be fully vaccinated (defined as two weeks after your final dose of vaccine) by Monday, September 6, 2021. 

University faculty, other academic appointees, and staff, including but not limited to visiting, volunteer, without salary, and emeritus/a professors, visiting or volunteer academic appointees, contract, recall, and emeritus/a employees.

Personnel also includes, for purposes of this policy, official volunteers

Using the COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Compliance Dashboard, your supervisor/manager will know whether you are Compliant, whether you are Compliant with additional requirements, or if you are Not Compliant.

Your supervisor will not have access to medical records. 

Generally, your manager should not ask you nor share your vaccine status. Your manager/supervisor will know your policy compliance status and if there are additional requirements.

However, in some areas, based on regulatory requirements, supervisors may be required to inquire about vaccine status, for example, research vessel operations at Scripps.

Relatedly, you should not question other employees or campus community members about their vaccination status and if someone volunteers their status, you should not share that information with others.

Medical exemption: An excuse from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine due to a medical contraindication or precaution.

Disability: A physical or mental disorder or condition that limits a major life activity and any other condition recognized as a disability under applicable law. “Disability” includes pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition where reasonable accommodation is medically advisable.

Religious objection: An objection to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine based on that person’s sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance

Requests for exceptions or deferrals should be submitted as soon as possible to avoid being Not Compliant with the Policy. 

• Complete the COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption/Deferral Request Form:  
  • Name 
  • UCPath ID number 
  • Contact phone number 
  • Contact email address 
  • Identify as Campus or Health employee 
  • Type of exemption or deferral being sought 
    
    
• This information will be sent to Sedgwick, our third-party administrator that is managing engagement with employees relating to vaccine exemption or deferral requests.  
  • Approvals: If Sedgwick approves a request, the requesting employee will receive information about documentation and next steps.  
  • Non-approvals: If Sedgwick is unable to approve a request, they will refer it back to the location of origin for additional review and follow up. Final assessments will be made and communicated with the employee. 

Our third party administrator, Sedgwick, has indicated they expect all processing to be completed by the end of September.

There is not an appeals process for exceptions or deferrals that are denied by UC San Diego.

No. Your work arrangement (including work location) is based on operational needs, not your vaccination status.

All employees must engage with the University of California COVID-19 vaccine requirement process in order to access any UC facility at any point, for any duration. This includes coming to campus to get your computer serviced, get a campus ID badge, pick up supplies, attend an outdoor event, etc. 

Please note: while Monday, September 6 is the deadline for compliance with the UC vaccine requirement, we recognize that employees may need additional time to comply with the requirement by either getting vaccinated or receiving approval on an exception or deferral request. Staff, faculty and students will not be barred from campus beginning September 6. Supervisors and other leaders will work individually with campus members who may need additional time to comply with the policy. Individuals who have refused to engage with the policy will receive direct communication.

UC San Diego is making significant efforts to inform campus community members about the UC COVID-19 vaccination requirement and provide convenient options to get vaccinated prior to the implementation date.

If UC San Diego campus employees fail to comply with the policy by either getting vaccinated or requesting an exception or deferral, they may experience consequences including dismissal from employment. 

Contact the UC San Diego COVID Vaccine Mandate Responsible Office at SDVaxRO@health.ucsd.edu.  This office can provide guidance and assistance relating to: 

• How to engage with the policy and process
• Clarity about the policy and process
• Technical support (e.g. submitting forms and documentation)

As a supervisor, you play an important role in:

• Keeping employees who report to you in the know by sharing information that is found on this page, the Return to Learn website and UCnet. 
• Ensuring policy compliance for impacted personnel by checking the COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Compliance Dashboard each work day and following the instructions outline on this page for employees who display as Not Compliant.
• Communicating and reiterating expectations for personnel who have vaccination exemptions or deferrals.

First, you should not engage with an employee specifically about their vaccine status. Instead, you should make sure your employees have the relevant information about how to engage with the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, including providing documentation and requesting exceptions and deferrals.

If your employee has received all the relevant information and is not in compliance with the UC COVID-19 vaccination policy, please connect with your departmental HR contact for assistance in navigating the Employee Non-Compliance process as outlined in the policy.

Connect with your department's Human Resources contact. 

Individuals must document their vaccine status through MyChart as the safest mechanism to maintain their medical information. Supervisors should not be engaged in validating medical information for compliance.

If an individual needs assistance with the Vaccine Documentation Process, they should email SDVaxRO@health.ucsd.edu. 

Supervisors should immediately reach out to their local HR contact to determine if the individual is actually Not Compliant. For example, the individual may be engaged in the process of requesting an exception or deferral.

Supervisors should not reach out to individuals who show as Not Compliant before consulting with their local HR contact and receiving guidance about any appropriate next steps, both immediately and in the coming weeks. 

Yes, student employees will appear in the dashboard. However, vaccine mandate compliance for student employees is managed through their student status (rather than through their status as employees).

Supervisors of student employees will be informed individually regarding their role in communicating with student employees who are Not Compliant.

Human Resources and Academic Personnel have information centrally regarding employees who are Compliant because they are currently awaiting pending processes that cannot yet be reflected in the Dashboard.

This is why supervisors should not reach out to everyone they see on their dashboard as Not Compliant until consulting with their local HR contact.

Supervisors are responsible for:

• Ensuring their direct reports are aware of the requirements of the UC vaccine policy and know how to engage with the requirements.
• Directing their direct reports to all resources to address pending questions about the mandate and this process.

No, only the status of individuals who directly report to the supervisor are displayed in the dashboard.

If a unit or department head has a specific reason for needing unit-wide dashboard data, they should consult with their local HR contact to determine if custom report needs to be run centrally.