What is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)?

In 1990, the Department of Health and Human Services developed the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in order to detect and track potentially unsafe vaccines administered in the United States. VAERS is run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Why was VAERS created?

The purpose of VAERS is data collection. It helps to identify trends in the safety of vaccines as well as identify the incidence of a particular side effect. For that reason, people are encouraged to report potential side effects of vaccines to VAERS regardless of whether the exact cause is known.

It is designed to be over-inclusive and allows anyone to report a possible side effect or adverse event following a vaccine for inclusion in its database. This data is beneficial for making determinations regarding the safety and efficacy of a particular vaccine.

How do I report an adverse vaccine reaction to VAERS?

No matter what the side effect, you can report it to VAERS without having to go through a healthcare provider. Click here to report the event. However, if you report an adverse reaction from a vaccine to your healthcare provider, the law requires that your healthcare provider report it to VAERS under two circumstances:

1. If the adverse event is listed in the VAERS Table of Reportable Events Following Vaccination and occurs within the specific time; and
2. If the vaccine manufacturer lists the adverse event as a contraindication to further doses of the vaccine.

The VAERS Table can be seen here. As you can see, if a patient presents to his healthcare provider complaining of a particular injury following a vaccine, this Table will inform the doctor whether or not a report must be made.

For instance, if a patient comes in to see his doctor and reports a shoulder injury within seven days following the administration of the MMR vaccine, that would require the medical provider to make a report to VAERS. Similarly, if a patient reported chronic arthritis within 42 days following the administration of the MMR vaccine, the medical provider would be required to report it to VAERS.

Does VAERS work with the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program?

At Shannon Law Group, we help people file petitions for compensation who have been injured by vaccines through the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The success of one’s petition is determined mainly by how closely his or her case fits in the Vaccine Injury Table. If you’ve seen the Vaccine Injury Table, the VAERS table will look very familiar to you.

However, you should know that VAERS has no connection at all to the VICP. Reporting a claim to VAERS is not the same as filing a Petition with the VICP and will not afford you any of the benefits offered by the VICP, including compensation.

What happens to my adverse vaccine report?

After reporting to VAERS, you will receive confirmation that your report was received. In some cases, you will receive a request for additional information, which may include medical records.

Limitations of VAERS

Unlike the VICP, VAERS is not concerned with whether the vaccine actually caused the side effect in question. In the VICP, my job as a vaccine injury lawyer is to prove or establish that the vaccine caused my client’s injuries. This is done through the medical records and, in some cases, medical expert testimony.

There is no requirement that an individual supports his or her report to VAERS. It will be recorded no matter what. Thus, while there may be many reports of a particular injury associated with a vaccine in VAERS, this information is not evidence of a causative link between the reported injury and the vaccine. The data is recorded for interpretation only.

Should I report my vaccine injury to VAERS?

Regardless of its limitations, I still encourage my clients to report their vaccine injuries to VAERS. The more information we have regarding vaccines and their side effects the better. Ultimately, the goal is to produce a safe product, and VAERS is an important tool in our collective attempt to strive for that goal.

If you believe you have suffered a reaction from a vaccination, I strongly encourage you to discuss it with your healthcare provider and report it to VAERS. You may also be entitled to compensation through the VICP.

We would be happy to speak with you to discuss your potential vaccine injury case. Our consultations are always free. Call us 24/7 at (312) 578-9501 or fill out the form at the bottom of this page to get started.