HHS seeks to add autism to vaccine‑injury table
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has floated adding autism to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) by broadening definitions of encephalopathy and encephalitis so some autism cases could qualify; experts warn the move would require formal notice-and-comment rulemaking, likely prompt a surge of claims that could threaten VICP’s finances, and be exploited to sow doubt about vaccines despite decades of scientific evidence refuting a vaccine-autism link.
Health
Politics
🔍 Key Facts
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed adding autism to the VICP by expanding encephalopathy/encephalitis definitions, per CBS News reporting.
- Legal experts note HHS would need to conduct notice-and-comment rulemaking to change the VICP 'table'; former HRSA and VICP officials warn the program is already overburdened.
- Federal data cited: since 1988 the VICP adjudicated more than 25,000 petitions and granted 12,019; autism is not currently on the VICP table because the vaccine-autism link has been thoroughly debunked.
📍 Contextual Background
- An FDA press release stated that some studies have found an association between acetaminophen and autism but those studies have not established causation.
- In 2023, U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote (Southern District of New York) excluded expert testimony in a lawsuit alleging prenatal acetaminophen exposure caused autism or ADHD, finding the experts had "cherry picked" and misinterpreted data and noting the underlying research did not demonstrate causation.
- On 2025-09-22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would begin the process of updating the safety label for Tylenol and acetaminophen.
- On 2025-09-22, President Donald Trump publicly stated that acetaminophen (Tylenol) "can be associated with a very increased risk of autism" and linked Tylenol with autism.
- The Office for Civil Rights is an office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.