Organization Coordinator User Manual

Your Role and Activities in VAMS

As an organization coordinator, you will use VAMS to:

• Serve as a liaison between your jurisdiction point of contact (POC) and the members of your organization,
• Register your organization in VAMS,
• Add organization members to VAMS,
• Manage organization members in VAMS, and
• Input individuals who are eligible to receive the vaccine

Two Steps to Register Your Organization in VAMS

This list summarizes the two steps you will take to set up your organization in VAMS. Once they are completed, your organization will be active in the system, which means:

• You will be able to bulk input individuals you are eligible to receive the vaccine (vaccine recipients), who will receive an email to register in VAMS
• You will be able to register and schedule vaccination appointments for vaccine recipients

Click on the links below to go to the corresponding sections in this user manual.

• Step 1: Activate Your User Account
• Step 2: Register Your Organization in VAMS
• Add Additional Organization Coordinators

Step 1: Activate Your User Account

You must activate an account in VAMS to use the system. After your jurisdiction POC enters your name and email address in VAMS, you will receive an email with a VAMS registration link.

Visit "Getting Started in VAMS" for directions on how to create an account in VAMS. If you need additional support for your role or have questions about creating an account, registering for VAMS, or accessing VAMS, this page has answers to common questions.

After creating your account, you will be immediately taken to the Organization Portal home page, where you see the My Members table.

Account Creation: Frequently Asked Questions

Can more than one person access the Organization Portal?
Yes, organization coordinators can add additional coordinators via the "Add Coordinator" button.

Can the VAMS Help Desk give us an invitation to register as an organization?
No, the jurisdiction point of contact (POC) is the only one permitted to enter organizations in VAMS. Please contact your jurisdiction POC to understand your status as an organization.

How do I create my organization account in VAMS?

• Search your email inbox for an email from vams@cdc.gov.
• Follow the registration link in this email to register your organization account (this step creates or "activates" your account).
• If the email isn't in your inbox, check your junk or spam mail folders.
• See Section 1: Getting Started in VAMS in the Organization Coordinator User Manual for step-by-step help.

Step 2: Register Your Organization in VAMSWhat you'll need to complete this step

• Organization name
• Organization address
• Organization phone number
• Your email address
• On the Point of Contact page, confirm your information is correct. If not, make the necessary edits, then click Next.
• On the Organization Information page, confirm your organization's information is correct. If not, make the necessary edits, then click Next.
• Review all information. If everything is correct, click Next. If not, click Previous to make corrections.

Quick Tip: After completing your registration, you can add coordinators to your organization by clicking Add Coordinator at the top right of the screen. Note that, once added, coordinators cannot be removed from your organization.

Add Additional Organization Coordinators

You can add additional organization coordinators to assist with managing your organization members in VAMS.

• Navigate to the My Members tab.
• Click Add Coordinator. This will open the Add or Update User pop-up window.
• Enter the Email Address for the individual you wish to add as the coordinator, then click Search.
• If the user is already known to VAMS, their information will auto-populate in the fields within the pop-up window. Confirm the information is accurate, complete the reCAPTCHA, then click Save.
• If the user is not already known to VAMS, enter the individual's information. Complete the reCAPTCHA, then click Save.

After you add an organization coordinator, VAMS will notify them through email (from no-reply@envelope.mail.vams.cdc.gov) that they have been added as an organization coordinator. The email will include a link to register, if applicable.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Your organization is now active in VAMS!

Add Organization Members in VAMS

Add Members in VAMS One at a Time
Add members' names and email addresses in VAMS one at a time.

Add Members in VAMS via Bulk Upload
Add multiple members in VAMS at one time by using the bulk upload function.

Policy Enabled Registration
Policy Enabled Registration (PER) allows an organization to send a common registration link for member registration.

Add Yourself as a Member of Your Organization
Don't forget to add yourself to become eligible to receive your vaccination(s)!

Now that you activated your account and registered your organization in VAMS, you can use the system to add your organization's members in VAMS so they can become eligible to receive their vaccinations. This can be done by allowing them to register through adding them in VAMS individually or via bulk upload, policy enabled registration, or a combination of all three methods.

There are three ways to add members in VAMS so they can register for a vaccination and/or general appointment:

Add Members in VAMS One at a Time

We use the term "member" in VAMS to signify any person added by an organization in VAMS for a vaccination.

In addition to policy enabled registration, there are two ways to add members in VAMS so they can register to become eligible to receive their vaccinations: one at a time or via bulk upload by importing a list of names. First, we'll learn how to add members one at a time.

• Click Add Memberin the My Members tab.
• Enter the member's First and Last Name, Email Address or Cell Phone Number, select their Language Preferences (English or Spanish), and check the Confirmation Box at the bottom of the page. Click Save.

Note the following field requirements:

• First name is limited to 80 characters
• Last name is limited to 80 characters
• Email address must contain an "@" sign and valid domain (.com, .gov, etc.) or an error message will appear.
• Cell phone number must contain 10 digits
• If the email address or cell phone number you entered already exists in VAMS, you will receive an error message.
• If you enter both an email address and cell phone number, VAMS will use email as the member's preferred contact method and will allow the member to update their preferred contact method when they register.

NOTE: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.

After adding a member in VAMS, a registration notification is sent to their preferred contact method with a link to register their account.

Registering Clinic Users: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add a user with a Gmail address?
VAMS users can use any email address (e.g., work or personal) when registering clinic users or recipients.

Can more than one person access the Organization Portal?
Yes, organization coordinators can add additional coordinators via the "Add Coordinator" button.

Add Members in VAMS via Bulk Upload

In addition to policy-enabled registration and adding members one at a time, you can also add multiple members in VAMS at once with bulk upload.

• Click the My Members tab.
• Click Import Members in the top right corner of the page.
• Click the Member Import Template link in the pop-up window that appears. After clicking the link, the template file downloads to your computer.

Important Notes About the Member Import Template File:

• The file opens on your computer as an .xlsx file, but you must save it as a CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv) file after entering all information and before uploading it to VAMS. No other types of csv files are accepted.
• You must use the latest version of the import template when uploading a list of members in VAMS. Please ensure you download and use the latest version of the import template each time you attempt to bulk upload members in VAMS to take advantage of constant improvements and to avoid data issues/inconsistencies.
• All fields within the template that are marked with an asterisk are required.
• VAMS will not upload a member if any of the required fields are blank.
• VAMS will not upload duplicates if someone is listed in the csv file multiple times or has already been added in VAMS.

NOTE: A comma separated values (csv) file is a plain text file that contains a list of data. These files are often used for exchanging data between different applications.

• After inputting clinic information and saving the Clinic Import Template as a CSV UTF-8 file, you should close the file and immediately upload it into VAMS. Do not reopen the file on your computer between conversion and upload. In some cases, reopening the file after saving as a CSV UTF-8 file could alter field properties and cause the recipient upload to fail.

• Open the file and enter your members' Information.
• Save the file as a CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv) You can find this option under the Save As drop-down menu in Excel.
• In the Import Member List pop-up window, click Upload Files or drag and drop your member list in the Drop Files area of the pop- up window.
• Click Close.

Adding Organization Members: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add more than one member at a time into the system?
Yes, you can bulk upload members into VAMS.

On the My Members tab, click the Import Members button to find the Member Import Template link. Use this template to input your members' information, save the file as a "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (.csv)" file, and upload it back to the Import Members pop-up window. Please ensure you download and use the latest version of the import template each time you attempt to bulk upload members in VAMS to take advantage of ongoing improvements and to avoid data issues/inconsistencies.

See Add Members in VAMS via Bulk Upload for step-by-step help.

Can I create other tabs in the Member Import Template to track different groups of recipients?
You cannot modify the Member Import template. VAMS will not upload the information if the template has been modified in any way. If you need to track separate groups, you can upload separate files.

Confirm Bulk Upload

Once you have imported a list of members, the following processes will occur in VAMS:

• A message will appear on screen that your list is in the import queue.
• VAMS will send a registration notification to each member's preferred contact method if their information was entered in the CSV file completely.
• After your list has fully processed, you will receive an email from vams@cdc.gov, stating that it has been uploaded. Depending on the size of the import file, your member list may not upload immediately.
• A Result Log for Bulk Upload file will appear in the Member Imports This file will show you all the members added to the system and explain why some may not be added. See the instructions below to view the Result Log for Bulk Upload file.
• Click the Member Imports tab to check the results of your bulk upload.
• The Member Imports tab shows information about your uploads including the system-generated Import ID number, who imported the list, and when it was imported.
• Click the Import ID number of the member import to open the Import Details
• Below the Member Import details is the Notes and Attachments. This includes two files: a Result Log for Bulk Upload and the Member Import file you uploaded.
• Click the Result Log for Bulk Upload link to open the file.
• Scroll to the right until you see the Status column. This column indicates whether a member was added in the system.
  • If there were duplicates or missing information, you will see an error message saying why a member was not uploaded in VAMS.
  • All members who have a status of Success have been uploaded in the system. Members whose statuses include an error message have not been uploaded in the system.

Managing Organization Information in VAMS: Frequently Asked Questions

A potential vaccine recipient within my organization cannot find their VAMS registation link. What do I do?
VAMS automatically sends a reminder email to the organization member starting five days after the initial registration link is sent. Reminder emails will continue until the member registers or until five consecutive reminders have been sent.

You may also manually trigger the reminder email in VAMS. From the My Members page, select the checkboxes next to the names of the members to whom you want to resend the registration email, then click the Resend Registration Email button at the top right of the screen. Note that you cannot resend a registration email to an individual who has already registered their VAMS account.

How do I edit the name of my organization's potential vaccine recipients?
From the My Members tab, hover your mouse over the name or email address you want to edit. Click the pencil icon on the right side of the cell. Enter the updated information, then click enter.

The updated information will then be highlighted yellow to confirm it has been updated. Note that you cannot change the information of an individual who has already registered their VAMS account.

Policy Enabled Registration

Policy Enabled Registration (PER) allows an organization to provide a common registration link for their members' registration in VAMS. In doing so, anyone with this email domain has the option to register in VAMS.

• NOTE: PER is domain-specific, not link-specific. Only use PER if you wish to give everyone with a specific email domain the ability to register. Even if you only send the link initially to a few members, others will still be able to register if they are sent the link and have the same email domain enabled by PER (e.g., if PER is enabled for the domain @xyz.com, anyone with this email domain can use your link to register in VAMS, not just those who receive the link).

For your organization to use PER for your members, you must provide at least one but up to 3 email domains (e.g., fultoncounty.gov, fultoncounty.org) to the jurisdiction POC so they can include that information when adding your organization in VAMS.

• NOTE: This must be done when the jurisdiction POC first adds your organization in VAMS as they cannot edit your organization's record after it has been added in the system.

Once the jurisdiction POC adds the email domain(s) you provided and you have registered your organization in VAMS, you will see an organization-specific registration link above the tabs within the Organization Portal. You can copy this link and distribute it to your members.

• Members will access VAMS using the organization-specific registration link you distributed and enter their organization email address and name.
• The system will validate that the email address entered by the member has the same domain as one of the domains the jurisdiction POC entered in your organization's record.
• VAMS will send a unique registration link to the member's email address (e.g., username@domain.com).
• Members can click the registration link and start the standard registration flow at prescreening, then enter personal and insurance (if applicable) information.
• Note that members cannot change their email address after they've registered in VAMS.

NOTE: Third-party email domains such as Yahoo Mail or Gmail cannot be used for PER. Domains used must be owned by the organization or an affiliate.

Add Yourself as a Member of Your Organization

For you to become eligible to receive your vaccination, you must be a member of your organization in VAMS.

• To add yourself as a member, click Add Member.
• Enter your First and Last Name and Email Address or Cell Phone Number.
• Select your Preferred Language (English or Spanish).
• Check the Box to confirm consent to share contact information with VAMS.
• Click Save.NOTE: Use the same email address you use for your organization coordinator log-in.

After adding yourself as a member, a recipient registration notification is sent to your preferred contact method with a link to the VAMS landing page.

• If you're logged into VAMS, log out by clicking the Drop-Down Arrow next to your name in the upper right corner of the page, then click Logout.
• Open your Recipient Registration notification and click the Link to register your account.Quick Tip: If your preferred contact method is email and the registration email is not in your inbox, you may need to check your junk or spam mail folders.

• On the next screen, enter the Email Address you use for your log-in, or the Username provided by VAMS (if registering by cell phone).
  • NOTE: If you are adding yourself as a member via cell phone, this will create a separate VAMS account from your organization coordinator account that was registered via email. To become a multi-portal user who can access both the Organization Portal and Recipient Portal with the same login, you must use your same email address when adding yourself as a member of your organization.
• Enter the same password you use when logging in as an organization coordinator user. Complete the reCAPTCHA, then click Login.
  • NOTE: Every time you log into VAMS, you must verify your identity by entering your password, and a number you receive via email or SMS, depending on the preferred contact method you choose (two-factor authentication process). After five log-in attempt failures, you will be locked out of the system for 15 minutes.
• After logging in, you will be taken to the Portal Selection screen where you will now have multiple portals to choose from including the Organization Portal and Recipient Portal.
• Click Access Portal below the Recipient Portal to complete your recipient registration.

Quick Tip: While logged into VAMS, you can switch portals by clicking the Drop-Down Arrow next to your name in the upper right corner and selecting Switch Portals.

Self-Registration for Vaccination: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my organization account to request a vaccination appointment for myself?
No, you must register as a recipient to schedule a vaccination appointment or create a walk-in appointment.

To register as a recipient, add yourself as a member of your organization in VAMS the same way you added other members, using the same email address you use to log into VAMS as an Organization Coordinator.

• You will then receive an email from VAMS (vams@cdc.gov) with a link to register as a recipient. This email is sent to the same email address you use to log into VAMS.
• Follow that link to complete your recipient registration.
• Once registered as a recipient, log into VAMS and you will see the portal selection page. Click Organization Portal for your organization duties or Recipient Portal to schedule a vaccination appointment as a recipient.
• See Add Organization Members in VAMS for step-by-step help.

Additional VAMS Functionality

This section shows you how to manage organization members entered in VAMS and how to access VAMS support.

View and Search for Members in VAMS

View a comprehensive list of members you entered in VAMS by clicking the My Members tab. You can also search for a particular member, resend registration emails, and edit member information on this page (see below).

Search for a Member

There are multiple ways to search for members on the My Members tab.

• You can search by clicking the Arrows in the columns to sort them by the column headers (e.g., first name, email address).
• You can also use the search bar to enter information such as first name, last name, or email address. Note that you can search for full names/email addresses or just the beginning of the recipient's name. For example, you can find the record for a recipient named William Smith by searching for "Will."

Resend a Member Registration Email

If a member has yet to register in VAMS 5 days after receiving their registration link, VAMS automatically sends a reminder email to the member. Reminder emails will continue up until the member registers or until 5 consecutive reminders have been sent.

You may also manually trigger the reminder email in VAMS. From the My Members tab, select the Checkbox next to the names of the members to which you want to resend the registration email, then click Resend Registration Email at the top right of the screen.

NOTE:

• You can only resend the email one time per hour.
• You can only resend a registration email a maximum of 5 times per individual.
• You cannot resend a registration email to an individual who has already registered their VAMS account.

Edit Member Information

You can edit first name, last name, and email address for individuals in your organization after uploading them to your organization in VAMS.

• On the My Members tab, hover your mouse over the name or email address you want to edit.
• Click the Pencil icon on the right side of the cell.
• Enter the updated information, then click Enter.
• The updated information will then be highlighted yellow to confirm it has been updated.

NOTE:

• You cannot change the information of an individual who has already registered their VAMS account.
• The member can edit their own first name and last name during the registration process and once their account is registered.
• You can edit the email address or phone number for a member who has not registered in VAMS.

Remove Members

You can remove members from your organization after uploading them to your organization in VAMS.

• From the My Members tab, select the checkbox next to the names of the members you wish to remove from your organization.
• After ensuring the boxes are checked, click Remove Registration on the right side of the page.
• You will then see a success message on the top of the screen confirming the members were removed.

NOTE:

• You cannot remove members after they have registered their account.
• If members try to register after being removed, VAMS will inform them there was an error processing their registration and that they should contact their administrator for more information.

VAMS Downtime Procedures

VAMS is occasionally taken down for scheduled system maintenance. All VAMS functions are unavailable for all users during these scheduled downtimes. You will be notified prior to scheduled system downtimes.

All users should consider any processes they may need to complete prior to the downtime.

VAMS Downtime: Frequently Asked Questions

Are there differences in VAMS functionality for early and later phases of the response?
CDC is currently exploring how to use VAMS for later phases of the COVID-19 response.

User Access Support

Quick Tip: Some users may not be able to access VAMS and may request your help in gaining access. A quick reference guide on troubleshooting for user access is available with a list of solutions. Additional FAQs about accessing VAMS can be found on the "Getting Started in VAMS" page. You can also find support within VAMS by clicking the Help Link in the upper right corner of the navigation bar.

Submit a Question to the VAMS Help Desk

• From the Help page, click Submit a Question.
• Click Submit a Case and select New Clinic Case.
• When logged into the system, your name and email address will be prepopulated in your case.
• Select the Category of your question (and Subcategory, if applicable), select your Jurisdiction, type the Subject of your question, then type your Question in the text box.
• After clicking Confirm, a message will appear on the screen confirming your question was sent.
• Once you receive a response to your question, you can communicate back and forth with the support team by replying to the email.

NOTE: Do not edit the subject line of the email or the support team member who initially responded to your question will not receive it.

VAMS Help Desk: Frequently Asked Questions

Can the VAMS Help Desk give us an invitation to register as an organization?
No, the jurisdiction POC is the only one permitted to enter organizations in VAMS. Please contact your jurisdiction POC to understand your status as an organization.