Countermeasure Injury Compensation Fund Amendment Act

Countermeasure Injury Compensation Fund Amendment Act

This bill modifies a program that compensates individuals for injuries experienced due to medical countermeasures (e.g., vaccines) delivered during certain public health emergencies, including with respect to compensation for COVID-19 vaccine injuries.

The bill aligns award determination procedures and other aspects of the program with requirements under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which provides compensation for injuries or deaths associated with routinely administered vaccines.

Additionally, the bill establishes a temporary commission to identify injuries caused by receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must list all identified injuries in a table of conditions that are presumed to be caused by a COVID-19 vaccine, provided there is sufficient scientific evidence linking the injury to the vaccine. If HHS does not include an identified injury in the table, it must publish an explanation of that decision.

The bill also allows individuals to resubmit their COVID-19 vaccine compensation claims, including the amounts of previously approved claims, for reconsideration under the provisions set out in the bill.