The following is from Children’s Health Defense.

The US government has awarded its largest known COVID-19 vaccine injury settlement—$2.5 million—to a person who developed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a condition most commonly linked to Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca shots but also reported with Pfizer and Moderna.

While this case resulted in a significant payout, most vaccine injury claims are rejected. The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) has received 14,234 claims related to COVID-19 vaccines, but 98% have been denied. Of the 26 approved claims, most received less than $3,500, with nearly all payments under $13,000 except for a $370,376 payout in August 2024, which experts say likely compensated for a death. The most common injuries compensated were cases of myocarditis.

Wayne Rohde, a leading vaccine injury compensation expert, and the author of “The Vaccine Court: The Dark Truth of America’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program“, said many are questioning whether this large payment signals a shift under the Trump administration toward more and higher compensation for vaccine-injured individuals. However, he dismissed that idea, saying the payout merely highlights the many severely injured people who need proper medical care and are not receiving it.

Rohde added that the award should serve as a wake-up call to elected officials, urging them to take action on the thousands of pending petitions from vaccine injury victims. He also pointed out that in the two months since the last CICP-approved payment had been posted, the program processed only six awards—while dismissing about 140 claims.

Dr. Joel Wallskog, a Wisconsin orthopedic surgeon who developed a severe neurological disorder after receiving the Moderna vaccine, testified before Congress about the program’s shortcomings. He pointed out that while the program claims to compensate victims, most of its funding is spent on bureaucracy instead of payouts.

“The CICP budget for 2025 is $10 million dollars — $1 million for actual injuries, and $9 million for administrative costs of the program. Can you imagine a private business that actually budgets for 90% overhead? It would be out of business.”

– Dr. Joel Wallskog

Wallskog also criticized federal agencies for dismissing vaccine injury victims and downplaying their struggles.

Experts say one of the biggest barriers to compensation is the the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, which protects pharmaceutical companies from liability for all injuries caused by medical countermeasures, including vaccines and treatments administered during a public health emergency. Rohde warned that this protection makes it nearly impossible for the injured to seek justice.

Attorney Ray Flores, senior outside counsel for Children’s Health Defense and an expert on the PREP Act, warned that liability protections will remain in place for years.

“Everyone thinks COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is over. That is only partly true. The emergency may be over, but protections for COVID-19 vaccines and other countermeasures remain in place for almost five more years, and could possibly be extended past that.

The PREP Act is Public Enemy No. 1. It lays the groundwork for dangerous experimental substances to be injected without the manufacturer standing by anything it says or does when designing, making, and marketing these products.”

– Ray Flores, Senior Outside Counsel, Children’s Health Defense

React19, an advocacy group for vaccine-injured individuals, is working to support those affected. The group has created its own fund to support vaccine-injured people neglected by the government, as legal experts warn that meaningful reform remains out of reach.

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