For most people, getting vaccinated against diseases like hepatitis, the flu, or COVID-19 is a risk-free process that significantly reduces or eliminates their risk of harm from the disease in the future. With that said, some people experience serious allergic reactions or other dangerous side effects from vaccinations, which may result in physical, financial, and psychological harm.
An experienced medical malpractice attorney knows how devastating an injury caused by a medical error can be and how difficult the process of filing suit over “malpractice” usually is. When you are injured by a vaccine of any kind, you may be able to seek financial restitution, which an experienced Hartford vaccine injury lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna, LLC can help you explore.
Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986, which created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) to encourage widespread vaccinations and minimize litigation over vaccine injuries. Anyone severely injured by a vaccine in the United States at any age can file a petition under this program and, if their petition is accepted, receive financial compensation on a no-fault basis for the harm they experienced from the vaccine.
As a Hartford vaccine injury attorney can explain in more detail, applying for the VICP involves filling out and submitting a petition to the U.S. Federal Court of Claims for review by the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice. A court-appointed special master makes the final decision after reviewing the petition and reports generated by the DHHS and the DOJ. If a VICP petition is rejected, legal counsel can help with filing and pursuing a formal appeal against that decision.
If someone can establish through a VICP petition that they suffered serious harm lasting at least six months as a direct result of receiving a covered vaccine, they are generally entitled to reimbursement through the VICP for all past and future medical expenses related to care necessitated by their vaccine injury. This includes inpatient and outpatient care at hospitals and other healthcare facilities and costs for rehabilitative therapy, prescription medications, and assistive equipment such as wheelchairs.
VICP claimants can also seek restitution for the full value of lost work earnings, attorney fees, and court costs made necessary by a vaccine injury, as well as up to $250,000 for “pain and suffering.” Finally, if a vaccine injury in Hartford directly results in someone’s premature death, a qualified lawyer can help seek a maximum of $250,000 in payments to the deceased person’s estate through the VICP, in addition to reimbursement for all attorney fees and court costs.
While the VICP can be very helpful for people dealing with vaccine-related injuries, you are not guaranteed a good result from your petition if you do not fully understand and comply with the regulations set by federal authorities. This can be challenging under any circumstances, but especially if you are seriously hurt or ill from an allergic reaction to a vaccination.
Seeking help from seasoned legal counsel is important to handle this kind of situation effectively and efficiently. Call today to learn what a Hartford vaccine injury lawyer from Berkowitz and Hanna, LLC can do for you.
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