Covid-19 shots could find their way into a decades-old injury compensation program intended mostly for children’s vaccines under bipartisan legislation announced by House lawmakers Thursday.
Adding new vaccines to the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) requires either an act of Congress, or a notice and rulemaking process—which can often be lengthy. A bill by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) would make that process easier by giving the Department of Health and Human Services authority to add to the list of eligible shots.
When it comes to getting new vaccines covered by the program, the legislation “definitely speeds things up,” said Christopher Webb, a vaccine injury attorney at Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee P.C.
