Thank you for your request for information which was received on 8th September, and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Request

1) How many claims have been made for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury in 2020:

We have already completed the questions below with data publicized in response to the previous request FOI-01298. Could you please confirm the data below is correct and provide the remaining information?

2) How many claims have been made for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury in 2021:

3) Claims made for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury in 2022:

4) Who made the COVID-19 vaccine injury claims:

4a. How many claims have been made by the vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022?
4b. How many claims have been made on behalf of a living vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022?
4c. How many claims have been made on behalf of a deceased vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022?

5) What gender is the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to: Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

5a. How many claims refer to female vaccine recipients in 2021 and 2022?
5b. How many claims refer to male vaccine recipients in 2021 and 2022?
5c. How many claims refer to non-binary/other vaccine recipients in 2021 and 2022?
5d. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients of unknown gender in 2021 and 2022?

6) How old is the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to: Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

6a. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients under the age of 18 in 2021 and 2022?
6b. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients between the ages 18-40 in 2021 and 2022?
6c. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients between the ages 41-65 in 2021 and 2022?
6d. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients above the age of 65 in 2021 and 2022?
6e. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients above of unknown age in 2021 and 2022?

7) What is the citizenship status of the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to: Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

7a. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who are UK or Isle of Man citizens in 2021 and 2022?
7b. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who were born in the UK or Isle of Man in 2021 and 2022?
7c. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who are citizens of other countries in 2021 and 2022?
7d. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients whose citizen status is unknown in 2021 and 2022?

8) Is the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to a Healthcare Professional: Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

8a. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who are Healthcare Professionals in 2021 and 2022?

9) Please provide the ethnicity you have for the person making the COVID-19 vaccine injury claim:

9a. Could you please indicate how many claims have been made with break down based on the ethnicity of the claimant in 2021 and 2022.

10) Please provide the ethnicity information you have for the vaccine recipients that the COVID-19 vaccine injury claims relate to:

10a. Could you please indicate how many claims have been made with break down based on the ethnicity of the vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022.

11) Reasons for rejecting COVID-19 vaccine-related claims: Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is rejected

12) Value of COVID-19 injury compensation:

12a. What is the total amount set aside for COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation (for example, funds allocated in the Government budget), in 2020, 2021 and 2022?
12b. What is the total value of compensation awarded for COVID-19 vaccine injuries in 2021 and 2022?

13) Average time from claim to notifying the claimant of the final decision on compensation for COVID-19 vaccine-related claims:

13a. What is the average time (in years, months and weeks) from the making of a claim to the notification to the claimant of the final decision on compensation for COVID-19 vaccine-related claims in 2021 and 2022?

14) Appeals following rejected COVID-19 vaccine-related NFCS claims:

14a. What is the number of appeals/mandatory reversal requests made to the VDP scheme in 2021 and 2022?
14b. What is the number of appeals to an external agency/body (i.e. the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal) in 2021 and 2022?

15) Internal NFCS appeals/reconsiderations: pending, accepted, rejected: Please indicate numbers by the year the appeal is made

15a. What is the number of internal appeals/mandatory reversal requests pending in 2021 and 2022?
15b. What is the number of internal appeals/mandatory reversal requests accepted in 2021 and 2022? 
15c. What is the number of internal appeals/mandatory reversal requests rejected in 2021 and 2022?

16) Percentage of vaccine injury claims received by the scheme which relate to COVID-19 vaccines:

16a. Please indicate the percentage of vaccine injury claims which are for COVID-19 vaccines as compared with all vaccine injury claims in 2021 and 2022.

17) What steps have been taken to let patients and potential claimants know about the NFCS?

18) Where can potential claimants find more information about the scheme?

Response

Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.

All data is correct as of 19 September 2023.

All data relates to claims received by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) and those transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 1 November 2021.

All figures provided for questions 1 to 16 relate to COVID-19 vaccines.

Question 1: How many claims have been made for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury in 2020:

Total claims made in 2020? No claims were made in 2020.

Claims approved in 2020? No claims were approved in 2020.

Claims rejected in 2020? No claims were rejected in 2020.

Claims carried forward to 2021? No claims were made in 2020.

In December 2020, ministers agreed to add COVID-19 vaccines to the scheme, For more information, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-add-covid-19-to-vaccine-damage-payments-scheme

Question 2: How many claims have been made for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury in 2021:

Total claims made in 2021? 614 claims were made in 2021.

Claims approved in 2021? No claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment were awarded in 2021. 66 claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment registered in 2021 have since been awarded.

Claims rejected in 2021? No claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment were rejected in 2021. 459 claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment registered in 2021 have since been rejected.

Claims carried forward to 2022? Of the 614 claims received in 2021, 594 claims made in 2021 were carried forward into 2022. A further 20 did not meet the criteria for medical assessment.

Question 3: Claims made for COVID-19 Vaccine Injury in 2022:

Total claims made in 2022? 2,724 claims were made in 2022.

Claims approved in 2022? 33 claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment were awarded in 2022, of which 27 were registered in 2021 and 6 were registered in 2022 74 claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment registered in 2022 have since been awarded.

Claims rejected in 2022? 440 claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment were rejected in 2022 , of which 151 were registered in 2021 and 289 were registered in 2022.

2,143 claims for a Vaccine Damage Payment registered in 2022 have since been rejected .

Claims carried forward to 2023? 2,816 claims made in 2021 and 2022 were carried forward in to 2023. A further 29 did not meet the criteria for medical assessment.

Question 4: Who made the COVID-19 vaccine injury claims:

4a. How many claims have been made by the vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022?

460 claims were made by the vaccinated person in 2021. 2,142 claims were made by the vaccinated person in 2022.

4b. How many claims have been made on behalf of a living vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022?

101 claims were made on behalf of a vaccinated person in 2021. 338 claims were made on behalf of a vaccinated person in 2022.

4c. How many claims have been made on behalf of a deceased vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022?

52 claims were made on behalf of a deceased person in 2021. 244 claims were made on behalf of a deceased person in 2022.

Question 5: What gender is the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to:

Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

5a. How many claims refer to female vaccine recipients in 2021 and 2022?

5b. How many claims refer to male vaccine recipients in 2021 and 2022?

5c. How many claims refer to non-binary/other vaccine recipients in 2021 and 2022?

5d. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients of unknown gender in 2021 and 2022?

Gender is not recorded on the claim form therefore the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority.

Question 6: How old is the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to:

Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

6a. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients under the age of 18 in 2021 and 2022?

Please be aware that I have decided not to release the full details where the total number of claimants for a particular year falls below 5. This is because the claimantscould be identified when combined with other information that may be in the public domain or reasonably available. This information falls under the exemption in section 40 subsections 2 and 3 (a) of the Freedom of Information Act. This is because it would breach the first data protection principle as:

a. it is not fair to disclose claimant personal details to the world and is likely to cause damage or distress.

b. these details are not of sufficient interest to the public to warrant an intrusion into the privacy of the claimant.

Please click the web link below to see the exemption in full.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/40

We have therefore combined the years rather than providing a breakdown, as failure to do so would make it possible to reverse engineer the figures.

Breach of Patient confidentiality

Please note that the identification of claimants is also a breach of the common law duty of confidence. A claimant who has been identified could make a claim against the NHSBSA or yourself for the disclosure of confidential information. The information requested is therefore being withheld as it falls under the exemption in section 41(1) ‘Information provided in confidence’ of the Freedom of Information Act.

Please click the web link below to see the exemption in full.

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/41

17 claims refer to a vaccinated person under the age of 18 in 2021 and 2022.

6b. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients between the ages 18-40 in 2021 and 2022?

814 claims refer to a vaccinated person aged 18 - 40 in 2021 and 2022.

6c. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients between the ages 41-65 in 2021 and 2022?

1884 claims refer to a vaccinated person aged 41 - 65 in 2021 and 2022.

6d. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients above the age of 65 in 2021 and 2022?

618 claims refer to a vaccinated person aged over 65 in 2021 and 2022.

6e. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients above of unknown age in 2021 and 2022?

Fewer than five claims refer to a vaccinated person of unknown age in 2021 and 2022. This information is therefore being withheld under the same exemptions, namely section 40(2) and 41(1), which are outlined above.

Question 7: What is the citizenship status of the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to:

Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

7a. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who are UK or Isle of Man citizens in 2021 and 2022?

7b. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who were born in the UK or Isle of Man in 2021 and 2022?

7c. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who are citizens of other countries in 2021 and 2022?

7d. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients whose citizen status is unknown in 2021 and 2022?

Citizenship is not recorded on the claim form therefore the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority.

Question 8: Is the COVID-19 vaccine recipient the claim relates to a Healthcare Professional:

Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is made

8a. How many claims refer to vaccine recipients who are Healthcare Professionals in 2021 and 2022?

Employment is not recorded on the claim form therefore the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority.

Question 9: Please provide the ethnicity you have for the person making the COVID-19 vaccine injury claim:

9a. Could you please indicate how many claims have been made with breakdown based on the ethnicity of the claimant in 2021 and 2022.

Ethnicity is not recorded on the claim form therefore the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority.

Question 10: Please provide the ethnicity information you have for the vaccine recipients that the COVID-19 vaccine injury claims relate to:

10a. Could you please indicate how many claims have been made with break down based on the ethnicity of the vaccine recipient in 2021 and 2022.

Ethnicity is not recorded on the claim form therefore the information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority.

Question 11: Reasons for rejecting COVID-19 vaccine-related claims:

Please indicate numbers by the year the claim is rejected

Please note that where the number is less than 5, we have replaced this with an asterisk (*). This information is being withheld under the same exemptions, namely section 40(2) and 41(1), which are outlined above.

Injury Not Covered

2021 - 12

2022 - 6

Not Vaccinated in UK or Isle of Man

2021 - *

2022 - 7

Claim Withdrawn

2021 - *

2022 - *

Duplicate Claim

2021 - *

2022 - 6

Invalid Claim / Claim Closed 2021 - *

2022 - *

Vaccination not verified

2021 - 0

2022 - *

Child under 2 years of age

2021 - 0

2022 - *

Causation due to vaccination has not been accepted

2021 - 0

2022 - 419

Causation accepted but disablement due to vaccination <60%

2021 - 0

2022 - 21

Question 12: Value of COVID-19 injury compensation:

12a. What is the total amount set aside for COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation (for example, funds allocated in the Government budget), in 2020, 2021 and 2022?

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) provides a one-off tax-free payment, currently £120,000, to successful applicants where, on very rare occasions, a vaccine has caused severe disablement. The VDPS is not a compensation scheme. A claimant could still seek damages in court.

The information you requested is not held by the NHS Business Services Authority.

12b. What is the total value of compensation awarded for COVID-19 vaccine injuries in 2021 and 2022?

The VDPS provides a one-off tax-free payment, currently £120,000, to successful applicants where, on very rare occasions, a vaccine has caused severe disablement. The VDPS is not a compensation scheme. A claimant could still seek damages in court.

Total value of Vaccine Damage Payments awarded:

2021 - £0

2022 - £3,960,000

Question 13: Average time from claim to notifying the claimant of the final decision on compensation for COVID-19 vaccine-related claims:

13a. What is the average time (in years, months and weeks) from the making of a claim to the notification to the claimant of the final decision on compensation for COVID-19 vaccine-related claims in 2021 and 2022?

The average time from making a claim to the notification of an outcome is one year, five months, two weeks for claims made in 2021.

The average time from making a claim to the notification of an outcome is nine months and two weeks for claims made in 2022.

Question 14: Appeals following rejected COVID-19 vaccine-related NFCS claims:

14a. What is the number of appeals/mandatory reversal requests made to the VDP scheme in 2021 and 2022?

If a claimant disagrees with the outcome, they can ask for their claim to be reassessed by the independent medical assessor. Claimants can provide new evidence to support their claim before it is sent for reassessment. There is no time limit to request a mandatory reversal and there’s no limit on the number of times a claimant can make this request.

No mandatory reversal requests were made in 2021.

46 mandatory reversal requests were made in 2022.

14b. What is the number of appeals to an external agency/body (i.e. the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal) in 2021 and 2022?

If a claimant disagrees with the outcome of their claim after a mandatory reversal they can apply for an appeal. An ‘appeal’ is when a claimant applies to His Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) for an independent ruling on whether the decision made by the independent medical assessor is correct or not. There is no time limit for requesting an appeal.

No appeals were made in 2021.

No appeals were made in 2022.

Question 15: Internal NFCS appeals/reconsiderations: pending, accepted, rejected:

Please indicate numbers by the year the appeal is made

15a. What is the number of internal appeals/mandatory reversal requests pending in 2021 and 2022?

No mandatory reversal requests or appeals pending in 2021.

29 mandatory reversal requests or appeals pending in 2022.

15b. What is the number of internal appeals/mandatory reversal requests accepted in 2021 and 2022?

No mandatory reversal requests or appeals accepted in 2021.

No mandatory reversal requests or appeals accepted in 2022.

15c. What is the number of internal appeals/mandatory reversal requests rejected in 2021 and 2022?

No mandatory reversal requests or appeals rejected in 2021.

17 mandatory reversal requests or appeals rejected in 2022.

Question 16: Percentage of vaccine injury claims received by the scheme which relate to COVID-19 vaccines:

16a. Please indicate the percentage of vaccine injury claims which are for COVID-19 vaccines as compared with all vaccine injury claims in 2021 and 2022.

89.77% of claims made for a Vaccine Damage Payment in 2021.

96.32% of claims made for a Vaccine Damage Payment in 2022.

Question 17: What steps have been taken to let patients and potential claimants know about the NFCS?

The VDPS provides a one-off tax-free payment, currently £120,000, to successful applicants where, on very rare occasions, a vaccine has caused severe disablement. The VDPS is not a compensation scheme. A claimant could still seek damages in court.

The information you have requested is not held by the NHSBSA. We are directed to administer the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). DHSC remains responsible for the policy that governs the scheme, including the how patients receive information on how to apply for a Vaccine Damage Payment.

For enquiries, please contact DHSC: pressofficepublichealthdesk@dhsc.gov.uk

Information about the scheme can be found at

www.gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment and nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps

Question 18: Where can potential claimants find more information about the scheme?

Further information on the VDPS can be found at gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment and nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps

Data Queries

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http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.

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