In the United States Court of Federal Claims 

OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS

No. 21-0179V

UNPUBLISHED

DONALD BUFORD,

 Petitioner,

v.

SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES,

 Respondent.

Chief Special Master Corcoran 

Filed: June 30, 2022

Special Processing Unit (SPU); 

Ruling on Entitlement; Concession;

Table Injury; Influenza (Flu) Vaccine;

Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine 

Administration (SIRVA)

Jerome A. Konkel, Samster, Konkel & Safran, S.C., Wauwatosa, WI, for Petitioner.

Tyler King, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for Respondent.

RULING ON ENTITLEMENT1

On January 7, 2021, Donald Buford filed a petition for compensation under the 

National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, 42 U.S.C. §300aa-10, et seq.2(the 

“Vaccine Act”). Petitioner alleges that he suffered a shoulder injury related to vaccine 

administration (“SIRVA”) as a result of an influenza (“flu”) vaccine received on November 

5, 2018. Petition at 1. Petitioner further alleges that the vaccine was administered in the 

United States, he experienced symptoms for more than six months after the date of 

vaccination, and he has not filed a civil action prior to this petition or received 

compensation in the form of an award or settlement for his vaccine-related injuries. 

Petition at ¶¶ 2, 12-13. The case was assigned to the Special Processing Unit of the 

Office of Special Masters.

1 Because this unpublished Ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, I am required 

to post it on the United States Court of Federal Claims' website in accordance with the E-Government Act 

of 2002. 44 U.S.C. § 3501 note (2012) (Federal Management and Promotion of Electronic Government 

Services). This means the Ruling will be available to anyone with access to the internet. In accordance 

with Vaccine Rule 18(b), Petitioner has 14 days to identify and move to redact medical or other information, 

the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. If, upon review, I agree that 

the identified material fits within this definition, I will redact such material from public access. 

2 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-660, 100 Stat. 3755. Hereinafter, for ease 

of citation, all section references to the Vaccine Act will be to the pertinent subparagraph of 42 U.S.C. 

§ 300aa (2012).
2

On June 29, 2022, Respondent filed his Rule 4(c) report in which he concedes that 

Petitioner is entitled to compensation in this case. Respondent’s Rule 4(c) Report at 1.

Specifically, Respondent agrees that “petitioner had no history of pain, inflammation, or 

dysfunction of his left shoulder that would explain his symptoms after vaccination; pain

occurred within forty-eight hours after receipt of an intramuscular vaccination; pain was 

limited to the shoulder in which the vaccine was administered; and no other condition or 

abnormality has been identified to explain petitioner’s shoulder pain.” Id. at 3-4. 

Respondent further agrees that the records show that Petitioner timely filed his claim, he 

received the flu vaccine in the United States, and that he satisfies the statutory severity 

requirement by suffering residual effects or complications of his injury for more than six 

months after vaccine administration. Id. at 4. 

In view of Respondent’s position and the evidence of record, I find that 

Petitioner is entitled to compensation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

s/Brian H. Corcoran

Brian H. Corcoran

Chief Special Master