Her Son’s Injury Never Got Its Day in Vaccine Court. Their Lawyer Is Now Advising RFK on Its Overhaul. By Maia Rosenfeld January 29, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/vicp-vaccine-court-cases-moved-lawsuits-lawyers-merck-hpv-rfk-allies-hhs/ KFF Health News: Her Son’s Injury Never Got Its Day In Vaccine Court. Their Lawyer Is Now Advising RFK On Its Overhaul In 2019, after a routine vaccination, 11-year-old Keithron Thomas felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and down his arm. His mother, Melanie Bostic, thought it would go away after a few days. But days turned to weeks, then months, and years. Bostic learned of a federal program designed to help people who suffer rare vaccine reactions. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was created in 1986 after a flood of vaccine injury lawsuits drove drugmakers from the market. ... She then contacted the Carlson Law Firm, which referred her to Arizona-based attorney Andrew Downing — who now serves as a senior adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Rosenfeld, 1/29)