BOP NEWSLETTER • October 2022

Q: I have an employee who wants to get the Hepatitis B Vaccine, which I’m required to offer and pay for due to her work duties possibly exposing her to Bloodborne Pathogens. How does that work? Does she choose where to go, or do I have to set it up and send her to a specific place?

A: Since the employer has to cover the cost of the vaccination, as you stated, it is generally best to find a place for the employee. We’ve learned that the cost can vary from one place to another, sometimes considerably. Therefore, to ensure that you control the cost, we recommend establishing where the employees should go. This could also mean being able to establish billing so that it is direct to you. If that cannot occur, then the employee can pay for it up front and then get reimbursed by you immediately following showing proof that it was done.

One other note regarding using health insurance benefits, if that’s something you provide to your staff. If you do provide health insurance and an employee is covered by it when they elect to get the vaccine, then the insurance benefit can be used to help cover the cost. If any of your employees who elect the vaccine have insurance through another source, please know that you would not be able to ask them to use it for the vaccine. This is because the cost must be fully covered by the employer who is providing the vaccine, which excludes having insurance from another source cover any portion of it.