Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

What is the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme?

Individuals who have become severely disabled as a result of a vaccination against certain diseases may avail of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), enabling them to receive a one-off tax-free payment of £120,000.

If a loved one has died after becoming severely disabled because of certain vaccinations, an application for this payment may be made in the estate of the deceased.

Are you eligible?

You may be eligible for the VDPS if you are severely disabled and your disability was caused by vaccination against any of the following diseases:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Diphtheria
• Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib)
• Human Papillomavirus
• Influenza, Except For Influenza Caused By A Pandemic Influenza Virus
• Measles
• Meningococcal Group B (Meningitis B)
• Meningococcal Group C (Meningitis C)
• Meningococcal Group W (Meningitis W)
• Mumps
• Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (Swine Flu) – Up to 31 August 2010
• Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
• Pneumococcal Infection
• Poliomyelitis
• Rotavirus
• Rubella (German Measles)
• Smallpox – Up to 1 August 1971
• Tetanus
• Tuberculosis (TB)

You may also receive payment if you are severely disabled as a direct result of either:

• your mother being vaccinated against one of the diseases in the above list while she was pregnant.
• being in close physical contact with someone who has had an oral vaccine against poliomyelitis.

As aforementioned, payment may be made in the estate of someone who hasdied after becoming severely disabled due to one of the listed vaccinations.

What Constitutes Severe Disablement?

To meet the threshold for payment the applicant must be ‘severely disabled’. This means that, as disablement is worked out as a percentage, the individual must be at least 60% disabled.

Disablement can be physical or mental and will be based on the medical evidence and records by the doctors or hospitals involved in the individual’s treatment.

Date and Location of the Vaccination

To receive payment the individual must have been vaccinated before their 18th birthday, unless the vaccination was during an outbreak of disease in the UK or the Isle of Man, or it was against:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Poliomyelitis
• Rubella
• Meningococcal Group C
• Human Papillomavirus
• Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (Swine Flu)
• Meningococcal Group W – Before Their 26th Birthday
• Influenza

The vaccination also must have been given in the UK or the Isle of Man, unless vaccinated as part of the armed forces medical treatment.

Time Limits on Making a Claim

You can only claim on behalf of a child once they are 2 years old.

To claim for an adult, apply by whichever is the latest of the following dates:

• On or before their 21st birthday (or if they’ve died, the date they would have reached 21)
• Within 6 years of the vaccination

How to Claim

If you meet the above criteria, you may apply online or via the post by filling in an application form. You can apply on behalf of someone else if:

• They are under 16 and you are their parent or guardian
• They are not able to manage their own affairs and you act as their representative
• They have died and you manage their estate

Our Healthcare department have assisted individuals in these matters by advising on their eligibility for the scheme, gathering medical evidence and appealing decisions to refuse compensation under the scheme.

This scheme has been set up to assist those who have suffered an adverse reaction to vaccinations and is necessary in that it helps these unfortunate individuals to avoid protracted and unnecessary court proceedings in order to recover compensation for their losses.