"Why GAO Did This Study
The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to report on the federal government’s ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes CICP [Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program], including its claims adjudication process, and similar programs in selected foreign countries.
GAO analyzed HRSA [Health Resources and Services Administration] data on CICP claims submitted from October 2009 (the date the program began accepting claims) through June 2024 (the most recent data available). GAO reviewed relevant HRSA documentation and interviewed agency officials. GAO further reviewed documents and interviewed officials from a non-generalizable sample of five foreign medical injury compensation programs—four from foreign countries (Canada, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland) and one international program (COVAX No-Fault Compensation Program for Advanced Market Commitment Eligible Economies)."
“What GAO Found
... [T]he Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act... authorized HHS [Health and Human Services] to establish the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) to compensate individuals who die or suffer serious physical injuries directly caused by the administration or use of certain medical countermeasures.
CICP is operated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)—an agency within HHS. To be eligible for compensation, individuals must file a claim within one year of the administration or use of a covered countermeasure and provide medical documentation to support that the countermeasure directly caused a serious physical injury or death.
HRSA data show that since CICP began accepting claims in October 2009, the program received about 27 times more claims in response to the COVID-19 pandemic than in the first decade of the program—13,333 compared to 491 claims, respectively.
HRSA made decisions on 25 percent of the total claims submitted as of June 2024 (the most recent data available at the time of GAO’s analysis); the remaining 75 percent of claims were under review or pending review. Of the claims that have completed HRSA’s adjudication process, about 3 percent (92) were found eligible to receive compensation. Fifty-six percent of the paid claims were COVID-19-related. HRSA data show that it took the agency 24 months on average to complete both the initial eligibility check and medical review needed to make a claim decision. For claims found ineligible after the initial eligibility check, HRSA took 14 months on average, as of June 2024. Missing the filing deadline was the most common reason for ineligible claim decisions. HRSA paid roughly $6.5 million in compensation for eligible claims as of June 2024, with most of that amount for serious injuries, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, caused by the H1N1 vaccine. About $400,000 was paid for injuries related to COVID-19 countermeasures, such as myocarditis (inflammatory heart condition)."
Full Report:
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-25-107368.pdf
GAO's products and information on GAO's Web site are not protected by copyright law in the United States and may be copied and distributed in their entirety without permission from GAO. GAO's products and this Web site may contain copyrighted images or other material, however, and permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately.