Can I receive compensation if I am injured as a result of the Covid-19 vaccine?
The United Kingdom does not yet have a specific vaccine compensation scheme in place for Covid-19 vaccines. However, the UK Government has established a program called the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (“VDPS”). Created by legislation and implemented in 1979, the VDPS is intended to provide financial support to those who are injured as a result of vaccination, including Covid-19 vaccination.
Compensation is awarded to individuals who have experienced severe disability or death due to certain vaccines, including those administered for diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), tetanus, and influenza.
A Bill is currently going through Parliament seeking financial assistance to persons who have suffered injury following vaccination against Covid-19 and to the next of kin persons who have died shortly after vaccination against Covid-19.
The Secretary of State is to report to Parliament on the merits of a no-fault compensation scheme which will provide financial assistance to those injured.
The main issues under consideration are whether there should be any upper limit on the financial assistance; the criteria for eligibility; and whether payment should be made in those cases where there is no other reasonable cause for the death or injury suffered.
The current support under the VDPS is limited to a single, lump-sum payment of £120,000 – an amount which has not been updated in line with inflation since 2007 – and compares poorly with compensation paid out in other personal injury cases.
That said, the UK government is set to pay out over £11.5 million in Covid-19 vaccine damages to nearly 100 claimants, according to official data released by the NHS Business Services Authority. These are essentially payments made under the VDPS.
To claim for a payment under the scheme, people must prove that the jab caused their illness and must be assessed as being at least 60% disabled as a result of the vaccine.
A data search also reveals that 3,889 claims have not yet reached an outcome. Of all the claims received, the data reveals 430 are related to someone who has died as a result of the Covid vaccine.
Whilst the medical world universally agrees that vaccination was an effective tool in tackling the pandemic, it comes with the caveat that side-effects are rare but real as reported by the UK Medicines and Health Regulatory Authority.
Adverse health impacts reported include blood clots. Tragically, in some cases the effects have been fatal. Some individuals have developed Vaccine Induced Thrombolytic.
As reported in the media, various experts have openly questioned the effectiveness of the VDPS, indicating the scheme is not fit for purpose.
The Bill is intended to drive forward the national conversation on how best to support the Covid-19 vaccination program whilst ensuring that injured individuals and their families are given access to appropriate financial and informational support.
Some of the individuals we have been supporting have now set up a vaccine injured and bereaved support group, known as VIBUK, which provides support and resources to families in need. After one year of solid campaigning by the VIBUK, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) finally agreed in July 2023 to change the law to ensure that those who receive a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) as a result of a bereavement following the Covid-19 vaccine, will have that payment disregarded for the purposes of means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit.
How we can help
Our lawyers will discuss your claim with you and will explain clearly and concisely how best to proceed. We will always be upfront with you about how likely your claim is to succeed and make clear any costs involved. We may be able to work with you on a no-win, no-fee basis.
To discuss your specific circumstances with a member of team, call us on 0800 988 8082 or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you right away.
