What must a medical exemption contain?

A medical exemption is a physician’s certification that a particular immunization may be detrimental to the child’s health. It must state in writing that the child has a medical contraindication to receiving a vaccine. The IN State Dept of Health has a medical exemption form available on CHIRP that providers should use to document medical exemptions.  Many contraindications to vaccination are not permanent; therefore, a medical exemption should be obtained for the student each school year. As true medical contraindications to immunization are vaccine- specific, medical exemptions must be written for each vaccine that is contraindicated. When a valid medical exemption form is received by the school, the school nurse must document this exemption in CHIRP.

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