Question 1

What is the "vaccine court"?

Accepted Answer

It is the everyday name for the Office of Special Masters at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC, which decides every claim under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Congress created the program in 1986. It is a no-fault system: you do not have to prove anyone did anything wrong, only that a covered vaccine caused your injury.

Question 2

Why can't I just sue the manufacturer or the pharmacy?

Accepted Answer

Federal law requires that a claim for a covered vaccine go through the compensation program first. Only after the program issues a decision can you reject it and file a civil lawsuit, and even then the law sharply limits claims against manufacturers. In practice almost everyone stays in the program, because it is faster, pays attorney fees, and does not require proving fault.

Question 3

How much does a vaccine injury lawyer cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing out of your pocket. The program pays reasonable attorney fees and costs directly, even if the claim is unsuccessful, as long as it was filed in good faith with a reasonable basis. Attorneys are not allowed to charge you a contingency fee on top of that.

Question 4

What is the deadline to file?

Accepted Answer

Injury claims: 3 years from the first symptom or manifestation of onset. Death claims: 2 years from the death, and within 4 years of the first symptom that led to it. There is no discovery rule — the clock does not wait for a diagnosis or for you to suspect the vaccine. If the Table is changed to add your injury, you may get a fresh 2-year window from the change if the injury occurred within the prior 8 years.

Question 5

What is the Vaccine Injury Table?

Accepted Answer

A regulation (42 CFR 100.3) listing specific injuries for specific vaccines with an onset window for each. If your injury is on the Table and started inside the window, causation is presumed and the government must disprove it. Injuries not on the Table can still be compensated, but you must prove the vaccine more likely than not caused them, usually with a medical expert.

Question 6

What can I be compensated for?

Accepted Answer

Past and future medical and rehabilitation expenses not covered by insurance, lost earnings, up to $250,000 for pain and suffering, and a $250,000 death benefit. Medical and lost-earnings damages are not capped. The average award has been under $500,000, but severe lifelong injuries have been compensated in the millions through structured annuities.

Question 7

How long does it take?

Accepted Answer

Longer than it should. Many straightforward SIRVA and GBS cases resolve in one to three years; contested off-Table cases can take much longer. The court has only eight special masters for the entire country, which is why the pending reform bill would raise that to at least ten.

Question 8

Do I have to go to Washington, DC?

Accepted Answer

No. Petitions are filed electronically. Almost everything happens on paper and by phone or video. On the rare occasion a hearing is needed, special masters routinely hold them remotely or travel.

Question 9

Are COVID-19 vaccine injuries covered?

Accepted Answer

Not by the vaccine court — not yet. COVID-19 vaccines fall under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), an administrative program inside HHS with a one-year deadline, no judges, no attorney fees, and a very low compensation rate. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act of 2026 (H.R. 9672) would move COVID-19 claims into the vaccine court. It has not passed.

Question 10

What is changing in 2026?

Accepted Answer

A bipartisan bill, H.R. 9672, was introduced in July 2026. It would extend the filing deadline from 3 to 5 years, raise the pain-and-suffering and death caps from $250,000 to $600,000 with inflation indexing, add special masters, and bring COVID-19, RSV, shingles, and dengue vaccines into the program. It is not law. Two earlier versions (2021, 2023) did not advance. Do not wait on it — file under the current deadline.

Question 11

Does filing a claim mean I am "anti-vaccine"?

Accepted Answer

No. The program exists precisely because vaccines are recommended for everyone and a small number of people are seriously injured. Congress designed it so those people are compensated fairly and quickly without dragging manufacturers into court. Filing a claim is using the system exactly as intended.

Question 12

Who is behind this site?

Accepted Answer

VaxJustice is an educational resource sponsored by The Frankowski Firm, LLC of Birmingham, Alabama. The attorney directory is drawn from the public roster published by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and is not a list of firms that pay to be listed. See the disclaimer at the bottom of every page.

Answered plainly.

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