While there have been limited cases reported in Kansas at this time, beef producers who have lost cattle to Theileria orientalis may qualify for financial assistance through the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). The program provides payments to livestock owners when deaths exceed normal mortality due to certain weather events, predator attacks or eligible diseases. Since Theileria orientalis is a vector-borne disease, spread primarily by the Asian longhorned tick, with no effective vaccine or control method, USDA lists it as an eligible cause of loss under LIP.
Producers will be required to provide records that verify the loss. Useful documentation can include veterinary or necropsy reports confirming Theileria orientalis, herd inventory records showing the number and class of cattle before and after the outbreak, and mortality records that show when and how many animals were lost. Proof of ownership also is required and can be provided through calving, purchase or production records.