Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme COVID-19 claim volumes and outcomes

<h2>Dataset Description</h2>
<p>This dataset provides information about COVID-19 vaccine claims received by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). The data includes any claims transferred to us from the scheme’s previous administrator, the Department for Work and Pensions. It provides the number of claims received, awarded and rejected.

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      Claim Definitions
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    <p><p><strong>Rejected claims</strong><br /> Under the government&rsquo;s rules for the scheme, to qualify for a Vaccine Damage Payment, it must be proved that:</p>
<ul>
<li>an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment/eligibility">eligible vaccine</a> was received</li>
<li>on the balance of probabilities, the vaccine caused the disability</li>
<li>the resulting disablement is severe</li>
</ul>
<p>Some examples of conditions where causation due to a vaccine was not accepted are:</p>
<ul>
<li>runny nose</li>
<li>minor headaches</li>
<li>backache</li>
<li>other minor side effects normally associated with being vaccinated</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Invalid claims</strong></p>
<p>Invalid claims do not meet the criteria for medical assessment. For example, claims for vaccines that are not included on the government&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment/eligibility">eligible vaccines list</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Live claims</strong></p>
<p>The majority of unresolved claims received over 12 months ago have not yet reached an outcome because:</p>
<ul>
<li>we require medical records for them and we have not received them yet from the vaccinated person&rsquo;s healthcare providers &ndash; we do not have direct access, so we&rsquo;re reliant on healthcare providers sharing them</li>
<li>we require further information from the claimant, for example, evidence of power of attorney if a claim is on someone else&rsquo;s behalf</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Unable to progress - awaiting additional information from claimant</strong></p>
 
<p>These are claims we cannot process because claimants haven't provided information we've requested. For example, we might need power of attorney when someone is claiming on behalf of another person. If we do not receive a response after asking several times for the information we need, we let claimants know their claim is paused until the information is received.</p>

<p><strong>Live mandatory reversals</strong></p>
<p>If a medical assessor rejects a claim, the claimant can challenge their decision. They can do this by asking for a mandatory reversal. Under the government&rsquo;s rules for the scheme, there&rsquo;s no limit on the number of times a claimant can ask for their claim to be assessed, and there&rsquo;s no time limit.</p>
<p>The data includes the number of unique mandatory reversals and is therefore not representative of how many times a claim has been assessed again.</p>

<p><strong>Appeals</strong></p>
<p>If a claim is rejected after a mandatory reversal and the claimant wants to challenge it, they can either:</p>
<ul>
<li>request another reversal – this means their claim will be assessed again</li>
<li>submit an appeal – this means the claim will be heard by a tribunal</li>
</ul>

<p>Appeals are handled outside of the VDPS by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). They make an independent ruling on whether the decision made is correct. There is no time limit for requesting an appeal.</p>

<p>As appeals are not submitted to NHSBSA directly, the number of appeals received is based on the number of appeals HMCTS has progressed to a tribunal hearing. Any appeals HMCTS have not progressed to a hearing are not included. For example, if the claimant is not eligible to appeal to HMCTS because they have not received a decision through the mandatory reversal process first.</p>
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<p><strong>Using the data</strong></p>

<p>Please contact <a href="mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk">communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> if you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.
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<strong>Overview of Service</strong>
<p>The VDPS provides a one-off, tax-free payment, currently of &pound;120,000. Under the government&rsquo;s rules for the VDPS, to qualify for a Vaccine Damage Payment, it must be proved that:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 40px;">
  <li>an <a href="https://www.gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment/eligibility">eligible vaccine</a> was received</li>
  <li>on the balance of probabilities, the vaccine caused the disability</li>
  <li>the resulting disablement is severe</li>
</ul>

<p>Severely disabled means at least 60%&nbsp;as defined by the principles for assessing the extent of disablement. These are set out in:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 40px;">
  <li><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/4/contents">Section 103 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1982/1408/schedule/2">Schedule 2 of the&nbsp;Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations 1982</a></li>
</ul>

<p>Each claim is considered by a medical assessor, who is an experienced General Medical Council registered doctor with a licence to practise. Medical assessors consider all available evidence as part of their assessment.</p>
<p>The VDPS is not a compensation scheme. A claimant could still seek damages in court.</p>
<p><strong>NHSBSA&rsquo;s role</strong></p>
<p>The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is responsible for the scheme&rsquo;s rules, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1979/17/contents">Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979</a>, the payment amount and the disablement criteria.</p>
<p>The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the scheme on behalf of DHSC, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>handling claims in line with DHSC&rsquo;s rules for the scheme</li>
<li>working with healthcare providers to obtain medical records from them so claims can be progressed to the medical assessment stage</li>
<li>managing the contract for the third party medical assessment supplier</li>
<li>providing updates to claimants</li>
</ul>

<p>For more information about the VDPS, visit:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 40px;">
  <li><a href="https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/vaccine-damage-payment-scheme-vdps">Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) | NHSBSA</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://www.gov.uk/vaccine-damage-payment">Vaccine Damage Payment: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></li>
</ul>
<strong>Dataset Details</strong>
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    <p>The dataset is updated quarterly and includes a monthly breakdown. It will be published at the end of the first month of each quarter.</p>
<p>The initial publication will consist of a single cumulative file containing data from the scheme’s inception in 1979 to 31 March 2025.</p>
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    <p>NHSBSA VDPS systems.</p>
<p>Dynamics Case Management.</p>
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    <p>Data is derived from VDPS systems.</p>
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    <p>The data shows the number of COVID-19 vaccine claims received as of each financial quarter.</p>
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    <p>Under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979, a claimant can only apply if the vaccine was administered in the UK (which includes England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) or the Isle of Man, or if they were given a vaccine whilst serving in the British Armed Forces.  </p>
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    <p>Management Information – this is not an official statistic.</p>
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<h2>Caveats</h2>
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  <p>The data includes the number of unresolved claims. For the majority of claims, medical records are required as part of the medical assessment process. NHSBSA is reliant on healthcare providers sharing medical records. The length of time it takes for healthcare providers to share medical records can vary.</p>
<p>Once sent for medical assessment, the time it takes for a medical assessor to consider a claim can vary from case to case depending on the individual circumstances of each claim. Some claimants may have thousands of pages of medical records that must be considered. There are also occasions where we are unable to progress claims until we receive the appropriate consent and proof of identity from the claimant. For example, lasting power of attorney.</p>
<p>Please contact <a href="mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk">communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> if you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.
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<h2>Enquiries</h2>
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    <p>If you have any queries regarding the data provided, or if you plan on publishing the data, please contact <a href="mailto:DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk">DataServicesSupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a> ensuring you quote the name of the dataset for reference. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.</p>
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<h2>Citing and Reusing This Data</h2>
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    <p>If you plan on producing a press or broadcast story based upon the data, please contact <a href="mailto:communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk">communicationsteam@nhsbsa.nhs.uk</a>. This is important to ensure that the figures are not misunderstood or misrepresented.</p>
    <p>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:</p>
    <p><a href="http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/</a></p>
    <p>Should you wish to re-use the information, you must include the following statement: &ldquo;NHSBSA Copyright 2025&rdquo;. Failure to do so is a breach of the terms of the licence.</p>
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<p><p>NHS Business Services Authority. "Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme COVID-19 claim volumes and outcomes" NHS Business Services Authority Open Data. Accessed **[Date Accessed]**. URL: <a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19">https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19</a></p></p>
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<h2>Change Log</h2>

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<p>The Change Log is a record of changes made to the dataset over time, including the addition or removal of metrics, updates to data formatting, corrections, and other structural or content changes.
<p>You can view the full Change Log at:
<a href="https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/31d0dcf1-d20f-4c0b-96c8-f29967356e8b/discussions/1">https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/31d0dcf1-d20f-4c0b-96c8-f29967356e8b/discussions/1</a></p>
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Organization: Public Services, Schemes and Payments