A program designed to compensate Canadians for vaccine injuries has paid out $2.779 million since it began accepting claims 19 months ago.
According to the Vaccine Injury Assistance Program (VISP) website, 50 of the 1,299 claims submitted so far have been approved, with 18 denied claims being appealed as of December 1, 2022. Claims are approved when a medical review board finds a probable link between a recently authorized vaccine by Health Canada and “serious and permanent injury.”
Lake Country, British Columbia, Ross Whiteman was one of the first claimants approved by VISP. The 41-year-old was hospitalized with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) — a rare and sometimes fatal condition that affects the nervous system — just days after his first and only dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.
“The program told me I was the first person for anything related. So I am the tip of the sword,” he said.
VISP covers Canadians who received the vaccine in Canada on or after December 8, 2020, except for those vaccinated in Quebec, where a provincial program exists.
More than 96 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Canada. Health experts note that the risks associated with contracting COVID-19 far outweigh the risks of vaccination.
There have been more than 49,000 deaths related to COVID-19 in Canada.
Claimants frustrated by delays
Without giving an exact figure, Whiteman said he received close to the maximum possible VISP payout of $284,000 for pain and suffering. That means his claim, which was approved in May 2021, represents nearly 10 percent of the total money distributed by the program so far.
A big frustration, Whiteman said, is the length of time it takes VISP to process a claim.
“I know a lot of people in the community that I’ve talked to are in a similar boat and they’re still struggling,” Whiteman said. “Some are denied for various reasons and others are just waiting for some kind of payment or word from VISP about where their case is.”
According to the VISP website, “timelines for determining eligibility and support will depend on the nature and complexity of the claim.”
Julian Scholfield was paralyzed from the waist down after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. He is still waiting to hear if his claim to the Vaccine Injury Assistance Program will be approved. (Submitted by Julian Scholefield)
Julian Scholefield of Summerland, BC is also critical of VISP’s pace. The 45-year-old father of two relies on a wheelchair to get around after he says he was left paralyzed from the waist down days after receiving a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in July 2021.
He filed a claim in October 2021 and has yet to receive notice of approval or denial.
“I was assigned a [VISP] case worker in December 2011 and I sent all my medical records and exams .. the details they asked for in January 2022. And since January 2022 I have been following up pretty regularly and either you don’t get a response or the response is delayed saying [to] Wait and see.”
Scholfield was unable to return to his job as a senior winery manager. At the same time, the costs of things like adapting his home and vehicle so he can get around continue to mount.
“We go into the hole every month,” he said. “It was extremely frustrating that I couldn’t do anything about it. I’m stuck here in a wheelchair in constant pain and I’m not getting any relief.”
Scholfield said he reached out to various levels of management for advice on how to speed up the process without any meaningful response.
“Either I get absolutely no response from the government or just a letter back saying thanks for your concern and good luck in the future.”
Ross Wightman, pictured with his two children, was one of the first to have his VISP request approved. (Submitted by Toby Wilson)
Wightman was relieved that his VISP request was ultimately accepted. But money won’t fix the reality of living without feeling in his arms, legs, and lower legs, not to mention the mental toll the vaccine damage has caused both him and his wife.
“Thirty percent of people who have Guillain-Barré end up on life support,” he said. “I will need medical attention and [will have] expenses for the rest of my life.”
CBC contacted the Vaccine Injury Support Program but did not hear back by deadline.
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