A number of vaccines make you eligible for the significant one-off payment, but you must be classified as severely disabled to qualify
Anyone who has experienced severe complications from certain vaccines, including the Covid-19 jab, could be eligible for a payout of £120,000. The Vaccine Damage Payment is on offer to those who have developed a serious disability as a result of a vaccine they’ve received.
A broad range of vaccines are covered, such as the Coronavirus, measles, and tetanus jabs. Medically-approved vaccines are generally deemed safe for most individuals and are typically the most effective method to prevent numerous infectious diseases.
Not only do they protect you personally from illnesses but also those around you. However, in some extremely rare instances, you might encounter adverse side effects from vaccines.
While these side effects are minor in most cases, in others they can be much more severe, potentially making you eligible for a significant one-off payment.
Who can claim the £120,000 payment
To be eligible for the Vaccine Damage Payment, you must be classified as severely disabled and your disability must have been caused by a qualifying vaccine. Levels of disablement are categorised in percentages.
If you are at least 60 per cent disabled, then that is classified as severe disability.
Moreover, a severe disability could be mental or physical and will be determined based on medical evidence from either a doctor or hospital involved in your care. The vaccine must typically have been administered before your 18th birthday, unless it was given during a disease outbreak.
The vaccine must have been administered in the UK or Isle of Man, unless you were vaccinated as part of a military medical treatment programme. You could also be eligible if your mum was vaccinated while pregnant or you were in close physical contact with someone who had an oral vaccination against polio.
Vaccines eligible for the payment
A broad range of vaccines can qualify you for the payment if they resulted in a severe disability, including:
- rotavirus
- diphtheria
- influenza, except for influenza caused by a pandemic influenza virus
- tetanus
- pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (swine flu) – up to August 31, 2010
- tuberculosis (TB)
- meningococcal group B (meningitis B)
- poliomyelitis
- human papillomavirus
- measles
- coronavirus (COVID-19)
- pertussis (whooping cough)
- meningococcal group C (meningitis C)
- pneumococcal infection
- smallpox – up to August 1, 1971
- haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- mumps
- meningococcal group W (meningitis W)
- rubella (German measles)
One or more of these may have been given as part of a combined vaccination, but will still be eligible.
How to apply
Payments are generally made directly to the claimant when they’re over the age of 18 and can manage their own affairs. Otherwise, payments will be made to a trustee.
You can apply for the payment online or by post via the NHSBSA website. If you are applying for a child, you can only do so once they are two years old.
Adults can lodge a claim either on or before their 21st birthday, or within six years of receiving the vaccination, whichever comes later. The official guidelines make it clear that Vaccine Damage Payments are not a compensation scheme and even if individuals have successfully claimed this payment, they still have the right to pursue legal action for compensation.