Vaccine injuries can be severe and dangerous. In the past, people have even died from a faulty vaccine injection or an over-injection of a particular serum. Because vaccine injuries can be debilitating or devastating, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program exists to help victims. The program is specifically designed to compensate those who have been injured by childhood vaccines and helps these people to avoid having to litigate in court. Instead, they can use this fast-paced and easy process where the claims are paid out of a vaccine recovery find. If you are specifically trying to target a specific medical facility or a doctor, then you will not want to use this route as you will not actually sue the offender. Instead, you will get your compensation through other means.
The purpose of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) is to make sure that there is an adequate supply of vaccines and stabilize the cost of these vaccines. It is also a way to provide accessible and efficient compensation to those who were harmed by vaccines. The finances to satisfy these vaccine injury claims come out of a fund that is built up by a small tax that is on every vaccine. According to Nolo, vaccine injuries are somewhat rare. The amount of vaccine injury claims has actually dwindled overtime as medicine has become more advanced.
The VICP only pays victims who file a claim in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and have their case heard by a special master. If the claim is within the VICP guidelines, the special master can order a payment from the Vaccine trust fund. You may want to hire your own lawyer as well to help you handle details of the case. There are specific guidelines regarding vaccine injury case that you will need to prove in order to evidence that you deserve compensation.
The injury must be caused by one of these vaccines in order to by eligible for compensation from the VICP: diphtheria, tetanus, varicella, rotavirus, polio, meningococcal disease, measles, mumps rubella, influenza human papillomavirus, haemophilus influenza type B, pertussis, pneumococcal conjugate, or hepatitis A and B. Sometimes new vaccines are added to the list, so it may be beneficial to you to check in with a VICP representative if you were injured by a vaccine that is not on the list. Anyone can file a claim with the VICP if they c believe that they were injured by a vaccine in the list above or are the parent or legal guardian of someone who was injured.
As well, if you are the representative off the estate of a person that died as a result of the vaccine, you also have the right to file a claim on that person’s behalf. Injuries from vaccines can be conditions that are presumed to be caused by the vaccine, or injuries and conditions that are not in the main list. As well, you may obtain compensation from an aggravated injury, which is one that you had before the vaccine but the condition got significantly worse after you were given the medication.
In order to prove that you are entitled to VICP compensation, you will need to evidence that your injury lasted for at least six months after the vaccine was given or that you had to stay in the hospital or receive surgery as a result of the injury. Family members and friends can also obtain compensation if the vaccine resulted in another person’s death. If you want more information, or you would like to discuss filing a claim, then locate a medical malpractice attorney near you today!