Announcements: Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program

Announcements: Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program
Weekly
July 2, 2010 / 59(25);780


The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) is a federal program that provides compensation for unreimbursed medical expenses, lost employment income, and/or death benefits for certain persons. These persons must have been seriously injured as a result of receiving covered countermeasures against certain pandemic, bioterrorism, or security threats specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through a Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act declaration.*

PREP Act declarations currently cover certain pandemic influenza countermeasures used to prevent, treat, or diagnose pandemic influenza such as influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine, oseltamivir, zanamivir, peramivir, certain personal respiratory protection devices (e.g., N95 masks), certain respiratory support devices (e.g., mechanical ventilators), and certain diagnostic devices. Other PREP Act declarations cover certain vaccines, antimicrobials, antitoxins, drugs, diagnostics or devices used to identify, prevent, or treat smallpox, anthrax, botulism, or acute radiation syndrome. Injuries from certain other vaccines, including seasonal influenza, might be covered by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP),† established by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

The CICP has a statutory 1-year filing deadline after the administration or use of the covered countermeasure that might have caused the injury. Until the federal regulations that implement the CICP are published in the Federal Register, injured persons can meet the filing deadline by submitting a Letter of Intent to File a Request for Benefits. Additional information regarding CICP is available at http://www.hrsa.gov/countermeasurescomp.

* Additional information available at http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/discussion/planners/prepact.

† Additional information available at http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5925a5.htm?s_cid=mm5925a5_e