Due to passage of HB334 in 2021, MT DPPHS updated the medical exemption statement form. What you need to know.
Healthcare providers can use their own form or letter.
A prospective student seeking to enroll in a Montana school is not required to receive any immunizations for which they are medically contraindicated. The Medical Exemption Statement, may be completed by a qualifying healthcare provider and utilized as an exemption. In lieu of this form, a written and signed statement from a qualifying healthcare provider will also be accepted under the conditions outlined in MCA 20-5-405. The medical exemption statement must:
(i) attest that the physical condition of the person enrolled or seeking to enroll in school or the medical circumstances relating to the person indicate that some or all of the required immunizations are not considered safe; and
(ii) indicate the specific nature and probable duration of the medical condition or circumstances that contraindicate immunization.
Who can write a legal medical exemption?
Pursuant to HB 334, a qualifying healthcare provider means a person who: (1) is licensed, certified, or authorized in any U.S. State or Canada to provide health care; (2) is authorized within the person’s scope of practice to administer the immunization(s) to which the exemption applies; and (3) has previously provided health care to the student or has administered a vaccine to which the student has had an adverse reaction. Once completed, this form should be filed at the student’s school along with their most current immunization record.
Where can I use medical exemptions?
A parent can utilize a medical exemption statement for either daycare or any type of school.
Daycare law regarding immunization in MCA 52-2-735 refers exemptions back to the school law "unless an exemption has been claimed as provided in 20-5-405"
Medical records privacy:
Pursuant to MCA 20-5-405, (d) The medical exemption statement must be maintained as part of the person's immunization records and may not be photocopied or otherwise duplicated for use by a third party without permission of the student's parent or, if the student is an adult, the written consent of the student. (3) The "health" department is not authorized to review a completed medical exemption statement or medical exemption form for the purpose of granting or denying a medical exemption.
Download the 2021 DPHHS Medical Exemption Statement Form: