According to new statistics, Canada’s Vaccine Injury Support Program has approved or paid out more than $2.7 million to claimants since the program opened in 2021. So far, 50 claims of a serious and permanent injury connected to a vaccine authorized by Health Canada have been approved.
Between June 2021 and Dec 1, 2022, the program received 1,299 claims, 209 of which were determined to be inadmissible because they either didn’t meet the eligibility criteria or had incomplete information. Of the remaining claims, 221 have been fully assessed by the program’s medical review board, while 48 are pending medical review board assessment and 662 claims are in the process of collecting medical records, which is usually the longest step in the assessment process, according to the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP).
The VISP previously released statistics in the summer, but this is the first time they have disclosed the total amount of financial support paid to claimants thus far. The program, which was first announced in December 2020, officially started accepting claims in June 2021. To be eligible for compensation, you must have suffered a serious and permanent injury connected to a vaccine authorized by Health Canada that was administered in Canada after December 8, 2020.