Maryland Vaccine Injury Lawyer

Widman Law Firm is admitted and able to file claims for vaccine related injuries taking place in the State of Maryland. The admission required to bring vaccine injury claims in front of the Court of Federal Claims, where vaccine injury claims are heard, is a federal admission. Therefore, Phyllis Widman, Esq. is fully admitted and prepared to bring vaccine injury claims in all 50 states and D.C., including Maryland. Whether you are in Baltimore, Anapolis, Waldorf, Silver Spring, Germantown, Ellicott City, Frederick, Rockville, or anywhere in between, Widman Law Firm is prepared to provide you and your family with high quality legal representation for your vaccine injury claim.

During the 1970’s and 80’s, the Pertussis vaccine was embroiled in controversy. Some parents claimed that the shot caused permanent brain injury in their children, a story the media was quick to run with. The ensuing backlash resulted in bad publicity for the vaccine manufacturers, and inevitably, lawsuits followed. Seeking to cut their losses, drug makers ceased production, until only one producer of the Pertussis vaccine was left in the United States by the mid-80’s.

The government, watching the immunization rate continue to fall, was forced to step in. In 1986, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which protected manufacturers against vaccine injury lawsuits. With their financial risks mitigated, production of the Pertussis shot and other crucial inoculations continued. However, the public was now aware of vaccine injuries, and those injured by immunizations still needed a system whereby they could be compensated for their damages. In 1988, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) was established, thus creating that system.

Since its formation, the VICP has awarded over $4.4 BILLION dollars in compensation to victims of vaccine injury.

The VICP, or “vaccine court” as it is colloquially referred to, is a branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The VICP is therefore a legal system, and those who wish to proceed with filing a claim for compensation are urged to do so through an experienced vaccine injury attorney. So that claimants can give themselves the best legal representation possible, attorneys’ fees are covered by the program, as long as the claim was made legitimately and in good faith. Further, due to the national scope of the program as well as the severity of some vaccine injuries, VICP cases are almost always handled remotely without ever appearing inside a courtroom.

To be compensable by the program, claimants must essentially show three things: one, that they received a vaccine covered under the program; two, that the injury they sustained is listed on the Vaccine Injury Table; and three, that their injury occurred within a given timeframe.

Some vaccines covered by the VICP include:

• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
• HPV
• Seasonal flu
• Tetanus
• Pertussis
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Chickenpox
• And more

Seasonal flu shot injury claims appear most often in the VICP. From 2006 to 2019, they accounted for more than 60% of decisions made by the program. Some of the injuries covered by the VICP include:

• SIRVA
• ADEM
• GBS
• CIDP
• Death
• And more

SIRVA, or Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine Administration, is the most represented vaccine injury in the VICP. Compensation for vaccine injuries varies from case to case, but can include: up to $250,000 in pain and suffering; an uncapped award for cost of living expenses; reimbursement of medical costs; and reimbursement of lost wages. In the event of a death resulting from a vaccine, the estate of the deceased may be entitled to a death benefit of up to $250,000.

After September 11th, 2001, the threat of further terror attacks loomed. Drug makers anticipated having to develop countermeasures against potential chemical, biological, and even radiological agents employed by terrorists. However, these countermeasures, developed at a moment’s notice, would surely be less thoroughly tested and therefore more likely to cause adverse effects. To that end, Big Pharma lobbied in Washington for further liability protections. In 2005, those protections were given in the form of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.

Just as the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act protected vaccine manufacturers and necessitated the VICP, so too did the PREP Act create the need for a surrogate program through which people could be compensated for countermeasure-related injuries. It was for precisely this reason that the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) was created.

While the CICP saw little use for its intended purpose, the program was also designed to cover injuries from countermeasures developed to fight epidemics and pandemics. In 2020, one such pandemic came along.

As of 2023, the total number of claims filed in the CICP is 11,708. Of that number, 95.6%, have been COVID-19 countermeasure-related.

The COVID-19 vaccine is the most claimed countermeasure in the program.

While the CICP is not a legal claims process like the VICP, it is still recommended to proceed with a specialized personal injury lawyer, such as a vaccine injury attorney. That said, the CICP does not reimburse attorneys’ fees like its sister program.

Compensation from the CICP can include: up to $379,000 in lost wages (limited to $50,000 per year); cost of living expenses; and reimbursement for medical expenses. In the event of a countermeasure-related death, a death benefit of up to $370,000 may be granted.

From the very start, Phyllis Widman and her team have been in vaccine court every day going to bat for the injured. Unlike some firms which only have a vaccine injury “division”, Widman Law Firm has always specialized in and prioritized vaccine injury cases. With millions of dollars won for clients, it isn’t hard to see why clients trust us to get them the compensation they deserve. Call or send us an email today to learn more about how we can file your vaccine injury claim in the VICP, or your COVID-19 countermeasure claim in the CICP.

Do not wait: each program has a strict time limit within which to file a claim. Claims filed in the VICP more than three years after the first onset of symptoms, and claims filed in the CICP more than one year after the administration of a countermeasure, are NOT eligible for compensation.