FOI-02637

##Request

1.	Has anyone living or deceased been accepted for VDPS causation for the medical condition Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) between 2021 and now? 
2.	Who determines what conditions are accepted for causation for VDPS and which conditions are not? 
3.	Who made the decision to exclude Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) from the accepted conditions and when was that decision made? Please provide any specific detail regarding this. 
4.	Where in the VDPS guidelines which are publicly available does it state that an mandatory reversal application may lead to a reversal of a previous decision? 
5.	Where do you make applicants aware that by appealing a decision not to award payment, they might then lose the accepted causation? 
6.	Since 2021, how many people who have previously been accepted for causation, have now had that initial decision reversed? 

##Response

I can confirm that the NHSBSA holds the information you have requested.

Question 1

Has anyone living or deceased been accepted for VDPS causation for the medical condition Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) between 2021 and now?

At the medical assessment stage, the independent medical assessor provides a description of the assessed conditions they have been able to identify from the claimant's medical records. This can sometimes be a mixture of conditions. The condition recorded against each claim may therefore be different to the condition initially stated by the claimant on their original claim form.

All data provided relates to the conditions listed by the independent medical assessor in the assessment report.

0 medical assessment reports where causation has been accepted contain one or both of the following search terms:

•	“Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis” 
•	“HLH”

Questions 2 and 3

Who determines what conditions are accepted for causation for VDPS and which conditions are not? 

Who made the decision to exclude Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) from the accepted conditions and when was that decision made? Please provide any specific detail regarding this.

Each claim is assessed by a medical assessor. Medical assessors are General Medical Council registered doctors with a license to practise.

Submitting a claim in relation to one condition does not mean it will be accepted or rejected. This is because each claim is considered on a case-by-case basis based on the evidence presented and the scientific evidence available. 

Medical assessors thoroughly consider:

•	information given on the claim form

•	any further evidence submitted by you

•	any pre-existing conditions that are not caused by the vaccine

•	medical records 

•	clinical research

•	epidemiological evidence

•	the current consensus of expert medical opinion


The medical assessor decides whether a Vaccine Damage Payment is due.

To qualify for a Vaccine Damage Payment, it must be proved that:

•	an eligible vaccine was received

•	on the balance of probabilities, the vaccine caused the disability

•	the resulting disablement is severe

Severely disabled means at least 60% as defined by the principles for assessing the extent of disablement. These are set out in:

Section 103 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
Schedule 2 of the Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations 1982

Questions 4 and 5

Where in the VDPS guidelines which are publicly available does it state that an mandatory reversal application may lead to a reversal of a previous decision?

Where do you make applicants aware that by appealing a decision not to award payment, they might then lose the accepted causation?

The VDPS Principles of Medical Assessment states that in reconsidering the claim, all aspects can be reconsidered. This includes eligibility, causation and disablement.    

Question 6

Since 2021, how many people who have previously been accepted for causation, have now had that initial decision reversed?

Scientific evidence can evolve. When a claim is reassessed, medical assessors must take into account all available evidence, including medical records and scientific evidence at the time of the assessment.

Following a mandatory reversal, the independent medical assessor, on the balance of probabilities, decided that causation was no longer accepted for 13 claims.

Publishing this response

Please note that this information will be published on our Freedom of Information disclosure log at:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/foi-02637

Your personal details will be removed from the published response.

Data Queries

Please contact foirequests@nhsbsa.nhs.uk ensuring you quote the above reference if you have any specific questions regarding this response; or, if you feel you may be misunderstanding or misinterpreting the information; or, if you plan on publishing the data.

Reusing the data and copyright

If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data please contact communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.

The information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and is subject to NHSBSA copyright. This information is licenced under the terms of the Open Government Licence detailed at:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ 

Should you wish to re-use the information you must include the following statement: “NHSBSA Copyright 2025” Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.

Information you receive which is not subject to NHSBSA Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. Please obtain their permission before reproducing any third party (non NHSBSA Copyright) information


Tags: HLH, VDPS, Vaccine Damage Payments
Organization: Freedom of Information Disclosure Log