Question Period Note: Vaccine injury support program

N/A

• The Government of Canada has established a no-fault Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP). The program ensures that all people in Canada who have experienced a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving a Health Canada authorized vaccine, administered in Canada, on or after December 8, 2020, have access to fair and timely financial support. The VISP is available to all Canadians outside the province of Quebec. Quebec is receiving federal funds to continue to administer its existing provincial program for people vaccinated in Quebec. The program brings Canada in line with a growing number of countries that have such programs in place, including all G7 counterparts.
• The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that Canadians who support public health by being vaccinated are supported in the rare event that they experience a serious and permanent injury as a result of vaccination.
• The no-fault Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) was launched on June 1, 2021, and is being administered independently by RCGT Consulting, which oversees all aspects of claims intake, assessment and reporting.
• The program ensures people in Canada who experience a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving a Health Canada authorized vaccine, administered in Canada on or after December 8, 2020, have access to fair and timely financial support.
• The province of Quebec is receiving federal funds to continue to administer its existing provincial program for people vaccinated in Quebec. Individuals vaccinated in all other provinces and territories are eligible under the pan-Canadian program.

If pressed on timelines to process a claim
• As the independent third-party administrator of the VISP, RCGT Consulting oversees all aspects of claims intake and assessment.
• Timelines for a determination of eligibility and support will depend on the nature and complexity of the claim. To receive compensation through the VISP, a causal relationship between the injury and the vaccination must be objectively determined.
• The causality assessment process requires the third-party administrator to retrieve all relevant medical records from the province or territory or from the medical institution where the patient received care. This process can take time and create delays outside of the third-party administrator’s control.
• Payments for those who have a serious and permanent injury from a vaccine will be retroactive to the date of the injury.

If pressed on number of claims received
• The program is administered independently by RCGT Consulting.
• RCGT is committed to providing public reporting and began publishing program statistics on their website in December 2021. The last publicly available information on their website is as of June 2022.
• As part of their mid-year reporting, RCGT has indicated to the Public Health Agency of Canada that as of September 30, 2022, a total of 1,166 claims have been received. Of these, 128 were assessed by a Medical Review Board and 33 claims were deemed eligible. In total, $2,034,314.95 has been approved for payment to eligible claimants.
• RCGT will regularly update program statistics on their website. The next update is expected in December 2022.

If pressed on the type of support available
• Eligible individuals may receive income replacement indemnities; injury indemnities; death benefits, including coverage for funeral expenses; and reimbursement of eligible costs, such as otherwise uncovered medical expenses.
• Compensation is comparable to what is provided through Quebec’s vaccine injury compensation program.

On December 10, 2020, the Prime Minister announced the creation of a pan-Canadian no-fault Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP). The program launched on June 1, 2021, and provides financial support to people in Canada in the rare event that they experience a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving a Health Canada authorized vaccine, administered in Canada on or after December 8, 2020. The program will also provide death benefits and support for funeral expenses in the rare case of death as a result of having received a Health Canada authorized vaccine.

Provinces and territories were given the option to create their own vaccine injury support programs with federal funding. All, except Quebec, chose to participate in the national program. Quebec is receiving federal funding to continue to deliver its existing program. A five-year contribution agreement with the province of Quebec was signed on March 31, 2022. In order to ensure equity across the country, the parameters of the pan-Canadian VISP have been modelled on Quebec’s successful regime, to the extent possible.

An open solicitation process took place in February 2021 to identify a third-party administrator for the VISP. PHAC received four proposals. A six-member Review Committee comprised of experts from inside and outside government in the areas of privacy, compensation programs, procurement, and medical expertise was established to review these proposals. After a comprehensive review, RCGT Consulting Inc. was unanimously selected and is now administering the VISP independently from PHAC. A five-year contribution agreement with RCGT Consulting Inc. was signed on June 1, 2021.

The process of establishing causality between a vaccine and an injury, as well as determining the severity and permanency of an injury, is complex and can be lengthy. However, the current timelines for RCGT to process claims are in line with other international vaccine injury programs. For example, as of October 1, 2022, the US Countermeasures Injury Program (US VISP) had received 7,412 claims related to COVID-19 vaccines and a total of $6 million had been paid out to 30 claimants.

RCGT is continuously working to improve its processes to ensure it is as responsive as possible to the needs of those affected by vaccine injuries.

• A total of $75 million in funding has been earmarked for the first five years of the program.
• The overall cost of the program will be dependent on the volume of claims and compensation awarded over time. To date, $33.2 million over 5 years is allocated to RCGT Consulting Inc. (RCGT) for administration and claim payments. Up to $7.75 million over 5 years has been allocated to the Government of Quebec for the continued delivery of its provincial vaccine injury compensation program.
• Remaining funds are available to adapt to the demand for financial support.