Dear faculty, staff, and students,

To comply with a federal mandate, UAH implemented an employee COVID-19 vaccination requirement this fall. Specifically, President Biden’s Executive Order 14042 mandates that employees of federal contractors are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Federal courts have put the vaccine requirement on hold for further consideration. Today, a federal court issued a nationwide order to suspend the vaccine mandate for employees of federal contractors.

As a result, UAH’s vaccine requirement is suspended. At this time, UAH will not be required to take action regarding unvaccinated employees on Jan. 4. 

Because the ultimate outcome of legal challenges is not decided, we will continue to closely monitor legal developments and provide guidance to employees.

If the injunctions are lifted by the courts, UAH must be ready to comply with federal requirements. If you are an employee (including student employees) who does not already have a COVID-19 vaccine record or an approved vaccine exemption on file with UAH, please consider taking the following steps as a voluntary measure: 

  • Upload documentation: If you receive COVID-19 vaccines from an off-campus provider, please upload your vaccine card to the UAH Health Portal or bring a copy of the card to the Faculty Staff Clinic or Student Health Center. Detailed instructions on how to upload a vaccine card to the secure portal can be found here.
  • Complete a COVID-19 Vaccination Status Release survey regarding permission to share vaccination status with UAH Human Resources or Student Affairs.
  • Request an exemption: Employees who wish to have an exemption on record with UAH are encouraged to submit a request to hr@uah.edu using the Medical Accommodation or the Religious Accommodation request form.

Taking these voluntary steps now will help ensure (1) medical, disability or religious exemption requests by our employees are processed in a timely manner, and (2) UAH can achieve compliance if the injunctions are lifted. It also provides UAH with important data to guide future decisions about on-campus safety strategies.

UAH continues to strongly encourage our campus community to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The protection afforded by the vaccine has been essential in keeping positive case numbers low. UAH currently has free Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines and boosters available. Appointments can be made through the UAH Health Portal or by calling 256.824.2400.