Georgia’s two Republican congressmen are pressing the Biden Administration for information regarding the many problems faced by COVID vaccine victims who are trying to navigate the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services vaccine injury program.
Rep. Mike Collins wrote earlier this month to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra about the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. This program is supposed to compensate for “covered serious injuries or deaths that result from the administration or use certain countermeasures.” Unreimbursed medical expenses (expenses not covered by health insurance), lost income and survivor benefit are some examples of compensation.
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Collins stated that many Americans who have been injured by COVID vaccines are experiencing difficulties with the program. Injured individuals, who were often required by the Biden administration for the shots, are now suffering from painful and sometimes debilitating injuries and financial burdens.
Collins wrote that vaccine-injured people in his state reported “burdensome requirements for getting their claims reviewed, long delays receiving a decision on a claim, and high rates unfavorable rulings.”
WXIA-TV reported the COVID-19 vaccination was responsible for the claims of more than half the people who had filed them with the CICP.
Allen Storey said that he was initially happy to have the vaccine. He suffered an acute brain stemstroke later.
Storey reportedly first felt vertigo. He soon lost the ability to communicate with his wife except by pinching her hand.
Allen and Beverly couldn’t work anymore, Allen due to his injury, Beverly because she needed to take care of her husband. To accommodate Allen’s new wheelchair, they had to sell their house.
The couple concluded that Storey’s COVID-19 shot was the cause of his current problems after he had been through a complete health screening and was otherwise healthy.
Beverly stated to WXIA that the burden of proof rests 100% on you. This made it difficult for logistics and cost.
Beverly acknowledged that she had sent thousands of pages of medical information pertaining Allen’s various diagnoses to the HHS program two years ago, but the CICP has not yet gotten in touch.
“You don’t get any answers. Storey stated that nobody has called back or sent any mail. “I don’t get why they can’t read it and reply like they promised!”
According to the CICP website there were 11,196 COVID-19 injury claims as of February 1, and 10,653 are pending or in review. Only 19 people have been awarded compensation out of 543 cases. Another 524 applicants were denied. 88 of them allegedly failed to meet the standard for proof.
8.447 claim injuries or death from vaccines, while 2,749 allege injury or death from COVID-19 contrameasures.
Politico reported that in June, the CICP was overwhelmed by complaints following the mandated introduction of COVID-19 vaccinations.
David Bowman, spokesperson for Health Resources and Services Administration, suggested that the statute “sets a very high standard for a claimant to be eligible for compensatory,” explaining why the Biden administration used taxpayer funds to help so few people suffering from alleged vaccine injury.
Christina Ciampolillo is president of the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association. She stated that HHS accepts or denies claims. There’s no judicial review and very little information about why things were denied.
Renee Gentry, the director of the Vaccine Injuries Litigation Clinic at George Washington University Law School told Politico that while COVID vaccine-related injuries are rare, there are many serious injuries that have claimed lives. It is frustrating to say that people who did everything right get nothing for it.
Collins wrote on February 2, that the difficulties encountered by program participants were unacceptable and added insult to injury.
“This administration has encouraged and, in some cases, mandated unconstitutionally that Americans take the COVID-19 vaccination. Collins wrote that it appears that many people, including many Georgians have taken the COVID-19 vaccine, and experienced side effects. Collins wrote that when side effects were reported, they were initially silenced by your Agency. They were also censored via social media and then abandoned by the administration when they sought assistance.
Collins said, “Now that many Americans have received the vaccine, your Agency has the responsibility to provide financial assistance to those who have experienced side effects from the COVID vaccine.”
WXIA was informed by him that Congress should hold HHS responsible: “We have to get these agencies in to tell us exactly what’s going on, and we have to take control of them.” They are not independent. They answer to Congress. We have the purse strings. It’s high time that we use those purse strings to find our answers.
Rep. Rich McCormick, a Republican from Georgia, also wants to see the CICP & HHS improve their “low response time” and lack of transparency in aiding the vaccine-injured.
McCormick’s office spokesperson stated that McCormick was working with physicians and fellow congressmen to address the issue in a substantive way. His inquiries will be published soon.”
