The COVID-19 vaccines are here, to many people’s relief. As with any such medical treatment, however, there is an inherent risk, and many will suffer an injury, disability, or death from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s an unfortunate reality. To that end, I want to make sure people are aware of a compensation program that exists for those who suffer adverse reactions, especially those that are lifelong disabilities and/or death. 

Compensation Available Through the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP)

The COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for emergency use by the FDA, meaning that specific standard testing steps were skipped so that they could be pushed to market ASAP. They are being deployed as a Countermeasure to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as such, fall under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) run by our United States government. 

The purpose of the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program is to allow emergency countermeasures to be used on a widespread basis while insulating the manufacturers from liability. This means the manufacturers cannot be sued directly by someone who suffers an injury, disability, or death from the COVID-19 vaccine. This does not leave this group of adversely affected people without recourse. 

The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program is an administrative system where those adversely affected can file a claim with the supporting documentation to seek compensation. There is only one “appeal” level for anyone whose claim is denied. This is not a court process or a legal filing. Individuals can and do handle this process entirely on their own. Many, though, do opt for legal representation for the procedure for various reasons. Those reasons include concerns over submitting a solid application, and ensuring that the best evidence is presented, to increase the likelihood of the success of their claim to the extent possible. Part of the process requires that the claimant prove causation. So, it is up to the claimant to show that the injury, disability, or death was, in fact, a result of the vaccination and not some other cause. 

Still, more claimants seek legal representation to assist with the process and hand the work off to someone else so they can focus on their health care. There is no right or wrong option, but it is essential to remember a few key factors when deciding how to proceed with your claims: 

– There is only ONE YEAR to file the claim from the date of vaccination. 

– Claimants get one bite at the apple.  Remember, if your claim is denied, there is only one level of review, so you want the strongest evidence submitted the first time. 

– The CICP has traditionally had quite a low approval rating, coming in around 1/3 or 33% of approvals . Since the decisions are not published (as with court opinions, for example), the basis of this dismal approval rating is unclear and could be attributed to many things, including insufficiently supported claims. 

Next Steps

Suppose you or anyone you know was left injured or disabled as a result of any of the COVID-19 vaccines that are available or any future ones that come available. In that case, you can find out more about the Compensation program  here.

Since these are federal, administrative claims, I am available to assist any claimant throughout the country with their claim process, should they choose to have legal representation. 

Please share this information so that people know about this compensation program, as I am not currently seeing it advertised or even discussed on social media, the news, or elsewhere. I feel this is crucial information that could help those families who are adversely affected and incur lost wages, high medical expenses, etc. 

The compensation is capped through this program, and while likely insufficient to cover the actual cost of an adverse event or death, it is undoubtedly better than nothing, as they say. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know has questions about this process. I am here to help. 

If you would like me to contact you about this matter, please  click here , provide your contact information, and I will be happy to reach out.