Families Seek Compensation Through U.S. Vaccine Court
A CBS/60 Minutes report profiles families who say rare vaccine injuries devastated their children and explains how they pursue redress through the federal National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The piece highlights the Thompsons, whose son Jacob was awarded a $2.1 million judgment and a lifetime annuity after a special‑master found his six‑month vaccinations aggravated an underlying genetic mutation, and it provides program totals — roughly 12,000 claimants and nearly $5 billion paid since the VICP began in the late 1980s.
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Legal
đź“Ś Key Facts
- A special‑master ruling in July awarded the Thompsons $2.1 million and a lifetime annuity for their son Jacob’s care.
- About 12,000 Americans have received payments through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program; almost $5 billion has been disbursed since the program began.
- Renée Gentry, director of the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic at George Washington University Law School, is representing/working with affected families.