People who have experienced severe complications as a result of receiving certain vaccines, including the Covid-19 jab, could be eligible for a payout of £120,000. The Vaccine Damage Payment is offered to certain people who have developed a serious disability due to a vaccine they've received.
A broad range of vaccines are covered, including the coronavirus, measles, and tetanus jabs. Medically-approved vaccines are generally deemed safe for most people and are typically the most effective method to prevent a host of infectious diseases. They can not only shield you personally from illnesses but also those around you.
However, in some extremely rare instances, you could experience adverse side effects from receiving vaccines. While these side effects are minor in most cases, in others they can be much more severe which may make you eligible for a substantial one-off payment.
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Who can claim the £120,000 payment
To be eligible for the Vaccine Damage Payment, you must be categorised as severely disabled and your disability must have been caused by a qualifying vaccine. Levels of disablement are classified in percentages. If you are at least 60 per cent disabled, then that is categorised as severe disability.
Moreover, a severe disability could be mental or physical and will be based on medical evidence from either a doctor or hospital that is involved in your treatment. The vaccine must also have typically been administered before your 18th birthday, unless it was given as part of a disease outbreak.
The vaccine must also have been given in the UK or Isle of Man, unless you were vaccinated as part of an armed forces medical treatment programme. You could also be eligible if your mother was vaccinated while pregnant or you were in close physical contact with someone who had an oral vaccination against poliomyelitis.
Vaccines eligible for the paymentA wide variety of vaccines can qualify you for the payment if they resulted in a severe disability, including:
One or more of these could have been provided as part of a combined vaccination, but will still be eligible.
How to make a claim
Payments are generally issued to the claimant directly when they're over the age of 18 and can manage their own affairs. Otherwise, they will made to a trustee.
You can make a claim for the payment online or through the post via the NHSBSA website. If you are making a claim for a child, you can only do so once they are two years old.
For adults, a claim can be made on or before their 21st birthday or within six years of the vaccination, whichever is the latest. Official guidance clarifies that Vaccine Damage Payments are not a compensation scheme and claimants can still take legal action to claim compensation, even if they make a successful claim for the payment.
