Covid-19 Vaccine Injuries and the Countermeasures Program

 Posted on May 12,2021 in Vaccine Injuries

As more Americans undergo vaccination for Covid-19, it is inevitable that rare adverse events will occur. 

While we represent individuals injured by vaccines covered under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), vaccine injuries stemming from a Covid-19 vaccination are, at present, not handled through the VICP.

Instead, Covid-19 vaccine injuries are litigated through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).

During periods of national emergency, including medical emergencies such as during the Ebola and Zika epidemics, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has the power to recommend a countermeasure, such as a vaccine or medication, with the aim of preventing or stopping those events. When HHS recommends such a countermeasure, any injury stemming from that covered countermeasure can be compensated through the CICP.

As Covid-19 was declared a national medical emergency in March 2020, at this time, Covid-19 vaccine injuries are only compensable through the CICP.

There are important differences between the CICP and the VICP. Click here to see an in-depth side-by-side comparison of the two programs. 

Under the CICP, an individual injured by a Covid-19 vaccine may be entitled to the following benefits:

Medical expenses related to treating an injury caused by the COVID 19 vaccine.

Lost Income from being unable to work for at least five days due to the Covid-19 vaccine injury.

Benefits may also be available to survivors of an individual that died as a result of their Covid-19 vaccine injury.

Representatives of an estate for a now deceased Covid-19 vaccine injured individual may also receive benefits through the CICP in some situations as specified by program rules.

You can find information on filing a claim under the CICP here.

Importantly, CICP claims must be filed within ONE YEAR from the date the countermeasure (Covid-19 vaccine) was received.

As we do not practice in the CICP, we are currently not representing individuals injured by Covid-19 vaccinations. However, it is possible that at some point in the near future, Covid-19 vaccine injuries will become covered by the VICP. If that happens, we will be able to assist Covid-19 vaccine injured people with their claims. In the meantime, we are carefully monitoring this area of developing law and are happy to speak with you about your suspected Covid-19 vaccine injury to determine if we might be able to assist you with a Covid-19 vaccine injury claim if/when they become covered under the VICP.