Workers' Compensation: NJ Department of Health App Provides Consumers Access to Personal, Family COVID-19 Vaccination Record

In an effort to expand consumer access to immunization records, a new app from the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) makes it easier for individuals and families vaccinated in the state to access their COVID-19 vaccination record. The mobile phone app will also be proof of vaccination as employers ramp up the return of employees to work and the COVID-19 variants, ie. Delta variant spread like wildfire.

The free New Jersey consumer access Docket app is now available in the App store or on Google Play in English or Spanish depending on Smartphone settings. The app allows people vaccinated in New Jersey to easily access their COVID-19 record digitally in case they lost their vaccination card or want quick access to their record.

Individuals with an email or phone number on file with the New Jersey Immunization Information System (NJIIS) can access and download their COVID-19 vaccination record using the app. The app, developed by New York-based Docket Health, Inc., also can provide access to family members’ COVID-19 records through a shared account.

“If you don’t have your vaccination card with you or you have lost it, you can easily access your record through the app,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “Providing this COVID-19 record digitally, as is done with other health records, simplifies access to consumers.”

Docket connects people directly with the NJIIS to deliver up-to-date COVID-19 immunization records for individuals and their families vaccinated in New Jersey. The app currently only displays COVID-19 vaccination details, however, future plans include expanded access for other full immunization histories. If a resident received their COVID-19 vaccine out-of-state, their records may not be available in NJIIS. NJDOH has worked with New York State and New York City to obtain records of New Jersey residents vaccinated there and is working on obtaining records for New Jersey residents vaccinated in other states/jurisdictions.

Docket is a CDC-approved application currently used in Utah and planned for rollout in additional states. Information in Docket will be used only to provide consumers with electronic access to their own COVID-19 vaccination record. The app adheres to federal and state standards for data security and privacy. NJIIS captures an individual’s name, phone number, and demographic details which were shared at the time of vaccination. This data is used to show a person’s COVID-19 immunization record through Docket.

If someone has lost their COVID-19 vaccination card or needs additional proof of vaccination, the app offers an alternative to easily access their record. Individuals also can request their immunization record by visiting https://njiis.nj.gov and clicking on “Submit a Request” at the top of the page. All immunization records obtained through an NJIIS request will be mailed only; they cannot be emailed.

For more information, visit the Docket app FAQ.

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com has been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.