Vaccine injury guide
Off-Table Injuries
The Table is not the limit of the program. Transverse myelitis, CIDP, ADEM, optic neuritis, seizure disorders, autoimmune conditions, and many others have been compensated as off-Table injuries. The difference is proof: instead of a presumption, you must show it is more likely than not that the vaccine caused the injury — typically with a medical expert's opinion applying what courts call the Althen test.
Signs to look for
- A new, serious condition beginning within days or weeks of a covered vaccine
- A plausible medical mechanism linking the vaccine to the condition
- A timeline consistent with that mechanism
- No better explanation in the medical record
Which vaccines
Any vaccine covered by the program. The injury simply has to be one the Table does not list for that vaccine.
Is it on the Table?
No — which is the point. Expect the case to take longer and to require an expert. The program still pays the attorney and expert costs.
The deadline
Three years from the first symptom. Off-Table cases are the ones most often lost to the deadline, because the connection to the vaccine is recognized late.
Think this is you?
Describe your symptoms and the date of the shot. An attorney who handles these cases will tell you whether it is worth filing — at no cost to you, because the program pays the fee.