Court Opinion

ID: 4270612
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2018-04-27 16:04:06.849004+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:31:41.575539
License: Public Domain

In the United States Court of Federal Claims
                                                          OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS
                                                                   No. 17-656V
                                                             Filed: January 23, 2018
                                                                 UNPUBLISHED

                                                                         
    MISTY TITUS,                                                         
                                                                             Special Processing Unit (SPU);
                                           Petitioner,                       Ruling on Entitlement; Concession;
    v.                                                                       Table Injury; Tetanus Diphtheria
                                                                             acellular Pertussis (Tdap) Vaccine;
    SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND                                                  Shoulder Injury Related to Vaccine
    HUMAN SERVICES,                                                          Administration (SIRVA)

                                         Respondent.

                                                                         
John Robert Howie, Howie Law, PC, Dallas, TX, for petitioner.
Amy Paula Kokot, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent.
 
                                                               RULING ON ENTITLEMENT1
Dorsey, Chief Special Master:
       On May 18, 2017, 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 she suffered a shoulder injury related to vaccine
administration (“SIRVA”) as a result of a tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (“Tdap”)
vaccine administered on February 18, 2015. Petition at 1, 8. The case was assigned to
the Special Processing Unit of the Office of Special Masters.
       On January 19, 2018, 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 has concluded that petitioner’s claim meets the Table

                                                            
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.
2
 National 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).
criteria for a SIRVA. Id. at 5. Respondent further agrees that petitioner is entitled to a
presumption of vaccine causation. Id.
     In view of respondent’s position and the evidence of record, the
undersigned finds that petitioner is entitled to compensation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

                                   s/Nora Beth Dorsey
                                   Nora Beth Dorsey
                                   Chief Special Master