Court Opinion

ID: 4013658
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-07-07 12:03:21.379957+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:31:14.469729
License: Public Domain

In the United States Court of Federal Claims
                                 OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS
                                          No. 16-315V
                                      Filed: June 3, 2016
                                        UNPUBLISHED

****************************
DON KNOBBE,                             *
                                        *
                    Petitioner,         *      Ruling on Entitlement; Concession;
v.                                      *      Influenza;
                                        *      Shoulder Injury (“SIRVA”);
SECRETARY OF HEALTH                     *      Special Processing Unit (“SPU”)
AND HUMAN SERVICES,                     *
                                        *
                    Respondent.         *
                                        *
****************************
Mary Coffey, Coffey & Nichols, LLC, St. Louis, MO, for petitioner.
Michael Patrick Milmoe, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.

                                    RULING ON ENTITLEMENT 1

Dorsey, Chief Special Master:

      On March 10, 2016, petitioner 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”) following receipt of an influenza vaccination on October 8,
2014. Petition at 1. The case was assigned to the Special Processing Unit of the Office
of Special Masters.

       On June 1, 2016, respondent filed her Rule 4(c) report in which she concedes
that petitioner is entitled to compensation in this case. Respondent’s Rule 4(c) Report
at 1. Specifically, respondent “has concluded that a preponderance of the evidence
establishes that petitioner’s injury is consistent with a shoulder injury related to vaccine
administration (“SIRVA”), and that petitioner’s injury is not due to factors unrelated to his
October 8, 2014 flu vaccination.” Id. at 3. Respondent further agrees that petitioner

1 Because this unpublished ruling contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, the
undersigned intends 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). 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, the undersigned agrees that the identified material fits
within this definition, the undersigned will redact such material from public access.

2National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-660, 100 Stat. 3755. Hereinafter, for
ease of citation, all “§” references to the Vaccine Act will be to the pertinent subparagraph of 42 U.S.C. §
300aa (2012).
suffered the condition for more than six months, that he has averred that no prior civil
action or proceedings have been pursued, and that entitlement to compensation is
appropriate under the terms of the Vaccine Act. Id. at 3-4.

     In view of respondent’s concession and the evidence before me, the
undersigned finds that petitioner is entitled to compensation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                   s/Nora Beth Dorsey
                                   Nora Beth Dorsey
                                   Chief Special Master

                                             2