For background information on the CDC’s public health surveillance tool, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), v-safe, the Vaccine Safety Datalink, the National Vaccine Information Compensation Plan (VICP) and the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), please read AVFCA’s article: https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/monitoring-vaccine-safety-injuries/
What Qualifies as an Adverse Event?
The VAERS Table of Reportable Events Following Vaccination lists known potential adverse events for routine vaccination. For COVID-19, The Biologics Effectiveness and Safety (BEST) Initiative and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) will monitor 15 adverse events to see if they are causally related to the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) vaccines and boosters (COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Surveillance: Active Monitoring Master Protocol, page 13).
Healthcare practitioners are required by law to report adverse events regardless of proof of causation. It is a federal crime to submit falsified reports.
How To Report an Adverse Event to VAERS
If you believe you have been injured or have a serious side effect from any vaccine, the first step is for you or your healthcare practitioner to report it to VAERS either online, or via a printable PDF form. It is important to report adverse reactions as soon as possible. Claims expire two years after the injury, and are not recognized in court past this time.
VICP vs CICP Claims
The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) is a federal program that was created in 1984 to compensate families whose children may have been injured by certain vaccines and to provide immunity from liability to drug manufacturers and all entities involved in providing childhood vaccines. Only injuries from vaccines approved by the FDA and recommended for children and pregnant women by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) are covered by VICP. Adults can file for vaccines which are given to children too, but any vaccine given only to adults is not free from liability, and can go to regular court.
A separate fund from the VICP was established in 2005 under the PREP Act to provide immunity from liability to drug manufacturers and all entities involved in providing countermeasures during a public health emergency. COVID-19 vaccine injury claims are submitted to VAERS but adjudicated in a special court funded under the PREP Act. H.R. 98 was passed in March 2021 to provide a separate compensation court specific to COVID-19, and is funded by the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).
Further differences between VICP and CICP can be found on the Health Resources and Service Administration website, the government organization that oversees both programs.
How to File a Claim with the VICP – Injury/ death claims from vaccines recommended for children or pregnant women only
Visit the VICP website, or call 1-800-338-2382 to learn about the program and file a claim. Instructions on how to file a claim/petition can be found here. Claims regarding alleged injury or death due to vaccination have a time limit for filing in VAERS, and moving to the VICP courts, which may be as short as two years.
How to File a Claim with the CICP – Injury/ death claims from COVID-19 vaccine only
Follow instructions to submit your claim. This must be filed within one year of the adverse event or in the case of death. Claims regarding alleged injury or death due to COVID-19 vaccination have a year time limit for filing with CICP.