Vaccine Damage Payments Unit

To make a claim for compensation, you have to prove that a vaccine has disabled you or your child by at least 60%. Less than 60% disability will not qualify for any compensation, and if you are awarded anything, the MAXIMUM payment is £120,000, even if your child has died or requires life-long care.

If you are on income support, job-seekers allowance, housing benefit, council tax benefit, pension credit or you recieve child tax credit for your child, the vaccine damage payment will be taken into consideration and you could have your benefit reduced or stopped as a result.

In affect, this means that families who suffer vaccine damage and who also rely on state benefit could find that even if they are awarded compensation, they could end up with nothing.

Vaccines You Can Make A Claim Against

You are able to claim compensation on any of the following vaccines:

* diphtheria
* tetanus
* pertussis (whooping cough)
* poliomyelitis
* measles
* mumps
* rubella (German measles)
* tuberculosis (TB)
* haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB)
* meningococcal group C (meningitis C)
* pneumococcal infection
* human papillomavirus
* smallpox (up to 1 August 1971)

This includes combination vaccines like MMR and DTAP. If you or your child were damaged by a vaccine not on the list, you cannot claim. The government periodically add new vaccines to the list so you may be able to claim later.

You can also claim if you were damaged as an unborn baby in your mother's womb, by a vaccine she recieved when pregnant with you, or if you'd had a baby you believe was damaged in utero by a vaccine you had when pregnant.

You can also claim if you were disabled by someone else's vaccine, i.e. if they were given oral polio vaccine and then you contracted polio as a result of being in close contact with them.

Rules And Red Tape

To make a claim you must:

* Have been vaccinated in the UK or Isle of Man, or been vaccinated in another country because you are part of the UK's Armed Forces.

* You have been vaccinated before your 18th birthday, unless it was with polio vaccine, rubella, Meningitis C, HPV (cervical cancer) vaccines or with another vaccine given during an outbreak of disease.

This means that if you were 25 and got a tetanus/diphtheria shot after cutting yourself and then you became vaccine damaged, you are technically *not allowed* to claim compensation.

* If you are claiming on behalf of your child, you HAVE TO WAIT until she is 2 years old before you can claim.

As the majority of childhood vaccines are given in babyhood and before the age of 2, it means that the time she attained the vaccine damage and likely required hospital care and treatments, the compensation would not be available to help with subsequent medical needs.

It also means that if your child DIED has a result of his vaccinations, prior to his 2nd birthday, you cannot claim compensation (see Anna's case below).

* You must also make the claim within 6 years of the vaccine damage being done.

* You must make the claim before the child's 21st birthday, so if your 18 year old is damaged by HPV vaccine, then you only have 3 years to claim rather than the 6 allowed.

You can still make a claim if your child has died but the time limits are still applicable.

How To Claim

You can contact the Vaccine Damage Payments Unit to ask for a claim form:

Vaccine Damage Payments Unit

Palatine House, Lancaster Road

Preston, PR1 1HB

Telephone: 01772 899944

Textphone: 01772 562202

Lines are open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9.00 am to 4.30 pm on Friday. You can also call using RNID Typetalk.

Alternatively, you can download a claim form to print off and fill in.

Copy and paste this into your browser to get the claim form for vaccine damage compensation:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/vadla_print.pdf

The vaccine damage payments unit will then contact your doctor and any hospitals involved before making their decision. If they refuse, you can appeal to an independent appeal tribunal. You also have the option of getting a solicitor to assist you in getting compensation.

The majority of claims are refused, but some aren't so it's worth trying to get recognition for you or your loved one's disability.

You can see the government's page for the Vaccine Damage Payments Unit on:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/OtherBenefitsAndSupport/DG_10026664

The Majority Of Vaccines Are Given In The First Year Of Life, Yet If Your Child Dies From A Vaccine Reaction During This Time, You Will Be Unable To Claim Compensation

17 month old Anna Duncan died 10 days after her MMR vaccine after experiencing many of the symptoms described in DOH literature, yet because she was less than two years old when she died, her parents were refused compensation.

Ref NINO VP 00 61 41 X
Ref Name ANNA LOUISE DUNCAN

Vaccine Damage
Payment Unit
Palatine House
Lancaster Road
Preston
PR11HB

phone number 01772 899944
fax number 01772 899873
Textphone 01772899489
Website www.direct.gov.uk
Date 06 June 2006

Dear Mr. Duncan

About Your Claim For a Vaccine Damage Payment

We received your claim for a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 on 30/05//2006.

I am sorry to tell you that your claim has been unsuccessful.

This is because claims can only be considered once a child reaches two years of age.

Unfortunately, Anna was under the age of 2 when she passed away

Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 sect 2(1 )(c)

What To Do If The Information We Have Used To Make The Decision Is Wrong

If the information we have used is incorrect and Anna was in fact 2 years of age when she passed away please let us know so that we can consider reversing our decision.

The time limit for requesting a reversal is 6 years from the date of this letter. This means that you have until 06/06/2012.

What To Do If You Disagree With This Decision

If you disagree with the decision you can appeal to the Tribunal Service. You can do this by writing to the Vaccine Damage Payments Unit.

The Tribunal Service look at your claim afresh, to see if the decision was correct. There is no time limit for requesting such an appeal.

You can email us at CAU-VDPU@dwp.gsi.gov.uk We are open: - Monday to Thursday 9.00am - 5.00pm Friday 9.00am - 4.30pm

Yours Sincerely

Mrs Linda Willis
Vaccine Damage Payments Unit.

Anna's father would like everyone to know that if they follow the government's advice and start vaccinating at 2 months old, they are left without recourse should something go wrong:

If you are considering vaccinating your child who is under two years old and you read this I can imagine your deep concern and disblief at how the government reacts to those that have chose to believe the government doctrine. It does appear that what the government is trying to tell us is that you should wait until your child is over two years old before vaccinating if you should chose to do so at all!

Motion in parliament to have compensation for workers damaged by vaccines

Stewart, Ian [Eccles, Labour]

That this House notes with concern the serious adverse reactions that some adults have suffered following receipt of the hepatitis B and other vaccines, which they were required to have as a condition of their employment; further notes that such adults include doctors, nurses, paramedics, medical technicians and other health service personnel together with specialist civil servants, social workers, prison officers, refuse collectors and other public sector workers; recognises the devastating effect such adverse reactions can have on the long-term health of the individual, in some cases leading to debilitation and early retirement and a significant loss of income; further notes that there is no clear and transparent system of support for such adults as they are not eligible to make a claim under the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979 and often have to fight for industrial disablement benefits: acknowledges that in the United States 146 hepatitis cases have been fully compensated out of 578 applicants; and calls on the Government to include all occupational vaccines on the approved list under the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979, to provide for vaccine damage under the Industrial Injuries Scheme or establish a new scheme covering occupational vaccines for adults which includes all single and multiple vaccines and their component parts, and for the chosen scheme to protect all workers including those in training.

As at 18.06.09, Signatures 97.

Source: www.parliament.uk, early day motion EDM 1646.