Covid-19 Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program

The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP) is a federally funded program that provides compensation for covered serious injuries or deaths that, based on compelling, reliable, valid, medical and scientific evidence, are found to be directly caused by the administration or use of a covered countermeasure or are determined to meet the requirements of a countermeasure injury table. The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program was established by the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2005. The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) authorized the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish CICP and the first claims were filed in October 2010 through the Human Resources and Service Administration (HRSA). The CICP compensates surviving family members whose loved one perished as the result of certain medical treatments known as “covered countermeasures.” Several Covid-19 medical treatments are “covered countermeasures” under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. CICP benefits include a death benefit of $365,670 (increasing to $370,376 for deaths after October 1, 2020), up to $50,000 in unreimbursed lost wages, and reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical expenses for those who have lost a family member to Covid-19 treatment. The majority of Covid-19 CICP claims fall under these alleged countermeasures: - Failure to have infection control programs in place, the failure to have adequate infection control in place, the failure to properly train staff, the failure to provide sufficient staff, the failure to cohort infected and uninfected individuals, the failure to provide PPE to staff and residents, the failure to train on the proper use of PPE, the failure to have adequate procedures in place to deal with infection, the failure to adequately monitor residents for signs of infection, the failure to transfer residents to a higher level of care when needed, the failure to adequately treat residents with COVID, the failure to provide appropriate distancing among residents, the failure to properly report the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths to authorities, and others. Surviving family members only have 1 year to file a CICP claim from the date of the countermeasure. All of our clients at least one of the countermeasures listed above that resulted in their death and have been submitted for review to the HRSA. There is only one chance in applying for benefits and while the use of an attorney is not necessary it is beneficial in recovering medical records, death certificate, and submitting the package for review to have the best outcome. Call or email us today to find out about your legal rights.