What Injuries Qualify for Vaccine Compensation?

The Vaccine Injury Table

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program maintains a Vaccine Injury Table — a government-maintained list of specific vaccines paired with the injuries or conditions presumed to be caused by them.

If your injury appears on the table and occurred within the specified timeframe after vaccination, you may qualify for compensation without having to prove that the vaccine caused your injury.

Common Table Injuries

The examples below are taken from the current Vaccine Injury Table (42 CFR § 100.3). Each listed injury also has to meet the Table's detailed definition, not just the time window.

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

• Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) — within 4 hours
• SIRVA (Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration) — shoulder pain and limited range of motion starting within 48 hours, thought to result from the vaccine or needle reaching the structures around the shoulder joint
• Vasovagal syncope (fainting) — within 1 hour
• Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological condition affecting the peripheral nerves — 3 to 42 days after vaccination

MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)

• Anaphylaxis — within 4 hours
• Encephalopathy or encephalitis (brain injury or inflammation) — 5 to 15 days
• Thrombocytopenic purpura (very low platelets), for measles-containing vaccines — 7 to 30 days
• Chronic arthritis, for rubella-containing vaccines — 7 to 42 days

Hepatitis B Vaccine

• Anaphylaxis — within 4 hours
• SIRVA — within 48 hours
• Vasovagal syncope — within 1 hour

Rotavirus Vaccine

• Intussusception (a type of bowel obstruction) — 1 to 21 days

Varicella (Chickenpox)

• Anaphylaxis — within 4 hours
• Disseminated varicella vaccine-strain viral disease
• SIRVA — within 48 hours
• Vasovagal syncope — within 1 hour

HPV Vaccine

• Anaphylaxis — within 4 hours
• SIRVA — within 48 hours
• Vasovagal syncope — within 1 hour

Off-Table Injuries

Injuries not listed on the Vaccine Injury Table can still be compensated — but you'll need to provide medical and scientific evidence showing the vaccine more likely than not caused the condition. This requires expert testimony and can be more complex.

What About COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries?

COVID-19 vaccine injuries are handled by the CICP, not the VICP. There is currently no COVID-19 injury table, so each claim is reviewed on its own evidence. According to HRSA's CICP data, most COVID-19 vaccine claims compensated so far have involved myocarditis or myopericarditis following vaccination.

Ready to Talk With an Attorney?

The best first step is to submit your information. We can connect you with an independent attorney who can evaluate whether your situation may fit a compensation program. It's free to submit, with no obligation.