What to do if you are injured by a vaccine

Soldier receives a vaccination

Many people believe vaccinations cause autism, but those who can prove injury from vaccinations have avenues to seek redress. 

There is a government compensation program for people who have been injured by vaccines, 

The compensation program was set up by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)

The program was set up to provide an alternative way of resolving disputes and to encourage strategies that would allow for just compensation evaluated by the United States Court of Claims.

In other words, it operates outside the ordinary tort system in the states, to make compensation more efficient, is the contention, while at the same time reducing costs and delays.

This process is a described as a no-fault alternative to the traditional ways legal cases are handled and with which most people are familiar.  Since the program was established in 1988, it has compensated more than 1,500 people who have been paid more than $1.18 billion. A claimant is also not prevented from filing a state or federal action if dissatisfied with the court's result, but filing a claim under this program may be a prerequisite to a
state or federal action.

Covered vaccinations include for tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chicken pox, rotavirus and Haemophilus influenzae Type B.   At the same time, as more vaccines are developed they are added to the list.  

The site of the vaccine recovery program outlines the fact that vaccines are not free from side effects but that most are relatively mild.  The experts point to possibilities and what the individual needs to do if he or she believes he or she or a loved one has adverse effects that might be worthy of compensation.

The programs developed for compensation for injuries from vaccinations that
provide an alternative to standard litigation is considered successful in that it has created a decrease in lawsuits against the manufacturers of drugs and health car eproviders who administer the vaccines.  Because lawsuits, some of which could be frivolous until investigated further create costs for defense that inhibit the development of new vaccines and the cost of delivering them to the public.