The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), sometimes referred to informally as VCIP, is a federal no-fault program that provides compensation to individuals who suffer certain injuries or death as a result of vaccines covered by the program. It covers most routine vaccines recommended by the CDC for children or pregnant women that are also subject to a federal excise tax, including seasonal influenza, DTaP/Tdap, MMR, hepatitis A and B, HPV, Hib, polio, varicella, rotavirus, pneumococcal conjugate, and meningococcal vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines and the shingles vaccine are not included; those fall under the separate Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP).
Injuries are evaluated primarily through the official Vaccine Injury Table, which lists specific conditions presumed to be caused by the vaccine if the first symptoms appear within defined time frames. Common table injuries include SIRVA (shoulder injury related to vaccine administration), anaphylaxis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, brachial neuritis, encephalopathy, thrombocytopenic purpura, intussusception, and vaccine-specific issues such as chronic arthritis from rubella-containing vaccines.
If an injury does not meet the table criteria or is not listed, it may still qualify as an off-table injury provided the petitioner can prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the covered vaccine caused the harm. For the most current details, refer to the Vaccine Injury Table on the HRSA website. If you or a loved one experienced a reaction after a qualifying vaccine, contact our office for a free evaluation of your potential claim.
