The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Monday that claims filed under the National [Childhood] Vaccine Injury Act (Vaccine Act) can be decided based solely on the written record. Such a procedural ruling allows claims to be judged without conducting evidentiary hearings or gaining either parties’ consent.
The Vaccine Act establishes the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VCIP), which provides compensation to people injured by certain vaccines. Typically, the vaccines are those mandated by public schools and are obtained during childhood.