Every day thousands of people in the US are safely vaccinated against diseases and illnesses. However, sometimes rare, severe, and debilitating reactions to vaccinations can happen.

Luckily, there is a little-known federal program set up specifically to help people that have an adverse reaction to a vaccine at NO COST to the victim. That program is the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP), more commonly referred to as the Vaccine Program.

Scharli Branch is admitted to practice in the National Vaccine Court and has represented clients in all types of legal-medical settings.  Prior to joining Cantey Hanger in April 2021, Ms. Branch spent two-years at the United States Court of Federal Claims where she analyzed and drafted decisions on hundreds of vaccine claims.  Please do not hesitate to call or email Scharli Branch if you or a loved one has suffered from an adverse reaction to a vaccine.

Information about the Vaccine Program

The government’s Vaccine Program was developed in 1986 in response to a noticeable rise in lawsuits brought against vaccine manufacturers. The basis for those lawsuits was that the vaccine manufacturer failed to warn about the potential side effects. The increasing number of lawsuits continued causing the price of vaccine production to soar, which forced some vaccine manufacturers to stop production. This began to create a vaccine shortage in the United States.

The shortage came at a time when the United States was beginning to see the eradication – because of vaccinations – of serious, highly contagious conditions such as polio and measles. Wanting to continue this positive trend and provide support for research and development of vaccines, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986. Part of the Act established the Vaccine Program. Its sole purpose was to provide an avenue to compensate individuals who experience a rare adverse reaction to a covered vaccine.

Funding for the Vaccine Program comes from a $.75 excise tax taken from each administered vaccine in the United States. That small tax goes to a fund, which is used to pay damages to individuals who make a claim in the Vaccine Program. Since its implementation in 1988, 24,084 claims have been filed and $4.5 billion has been paid in damages.

To receive compensation from the Vaccine Program, a claim must be filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims. Among other requirements, an individual who wants to make a claim in the Vaccine Program must have received a covered vaccine and been injured thereafter. An attorney from the Department of Justice is responsible for responding to the claim and defending the fund. All the proceedings for the claim are heard and decided by a Special Master (functioning as a Judge).

To help remove barriers to entry and make the Vaccine Program accessible, attorney’s fees are paid by the fund regardless of the outcome, assuming the case is brought in good faith. Any attorney who has been admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims can bring a claim on behalf of an injured party. Even with all of these benefits, the Vaccine Program remains relatively unknown, even amongst physicians who treat patients with vaccine-related injuries.

While the Vaccine Program covers the most common vaccines administered in the United States, such as measles, seasonal flu, and whooping cough (DTaP or Tdap), the COVID-19 vaccines are not included yet because of their emergency approval status. Congress can add the COVID-19 vaccines as covered vaccines if and when they receive full approval from the FDA.