Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he will push to reform the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which compensates individuals harmed by vaccines.
“I will not allow the VICP to continue to ignore its mandate and fail its mission of quickly and fairly compensating vaccine-injured individuals,” Kennedy posted on X. “Together, we will steer the Vaccine Court back to its original congressional intent.”
The 1986 Vaccine Act gave vaccine makers immunity against lawsuits by children who suffer vaccine injuries. The statute, and numerous subsequent court decisions, recognized that vaccines, like all medicines, are, in the words of the American Academy of Pediatrics case,…
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) July 28, 2025
Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccine mandates, said he is working with Attorney General Pam Bondi to address systemic delays and fairness concerns in the program.
The VICP was created in 1986 to handle vaccine injury claims outside traditional courts. Kennedy’s move marks a significant shift in federal vaccine policy, as he seeks to align the program with its founding mission of swift and just compensation.
