Vaccine Court

About Vaccine Court

The Office of Special Masters of the US Court of Federal Claims, nicknamed the Vaccine Court, handles vaccine injury claims. The court was established by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 and began operating in 1988. Special masters serve as judges. The program uses a Vaccine Injury Table that lists conditions presumed to be caused by vaccines. Off table claims require additional evidence. The program has processed tens of thousands of petitions and awarded more than 5 billion dollars in compensation. Many recent claims involve shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration. The Omnibus Autism Proceedings from 2007 to 2010 addressed approximately 5,000 claims linking vaccines to autism. The test cases were all rejected for lack of scientific evidence. The program has been criticized by both vaccine advocates who say it is too generous and vaccine critics who say it is too restrictive.