DHHS Withholds Vaccine Injury Data and Rolls Out Vaccine Confidence Plan
by Theresa Wrangham, NVIC Executive Director
Federal Vaccine Advisory Committee Update – ACCV and NVAC
NVIC regularly monitors meetings held by federal vaccine advisory
committees, including the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines
(ACCV) and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC). Both ACCV and
NVAC were created under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of
1986 and committee members are appointed by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) to usually serve two to four-year
terms.
The ACCV is charged with providing oversight and giving advice to
DHHS on the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) that
Congress designed in the 1986 law to serve as an alternative to vaccine
injury lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers and doctors.
During ACCV meetings, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and
Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation (DVIC) present quarterly data on
vaccine injury claim petitions filed and the length of time each
petition took to process; petitions that result in federal compensation;
how many cases were adjudicated by concession, settlement or through a
U.S. Court of Claims decision; and how many cases were dismissed.
The Public Right to Vaccine Injury Information – The Nut Shell
Inrecent years, information about compensated vaccine injury claims
published in the VICP Data and Statistics Report has changed - but not
for the better. This report prepared by DHHS officials continues to
provide limited insight into vaccine injury and death awards, despite
the fact that federal law states the public has a right to additional
information,1 much of which is presented in bits and pieces during ACCV meetings.
Under the 1986 law, the public is entitled to the following information about VICP vaccine injury and death petitions:
- the number of petitions filed with the VICP and their
disposition, the dates of when vaccine-related injuries and deaths
occurred; - the types and amounts of awards; and,
- the length of time for the disposition of petitions;
While DHHS gives some of this information to the ACCV on a quarterly
basis, the information is not as meaningful as it could be because of
the way it is presented in ACCV meetings and on the VICP’s website.
There is no ability for the public, or the ACCV for that matter, to
connect the dots between vaccine injuries compensated by vaccine and
condition over time, or to determine the reasons and any associated
trends on why petitions are dismissed and claimants are denied
compensation.
