RFK Jr. Moves to Overhaul U.S. Vaccine Injury Fund

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he has assembled a team to redesign the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the federal mechanism that pays people who suffer rare but serious adverse reactions to immunizations and shields manufacturers from most lawsuits. Kennedy told interviewer Tucker Carlson that his group is examining ways to expand compensation to people who claim injuries from Covid-19 shots, extend the statute of limitations for filing claims, and otherwise "revolutionize" the program. He did not specify a timeline or cost estimates. Any sweeping rewrite would likely require congressional approval because the 1986 law that created the program established funding sources, eligibility rules and liability protections for vaccine makers.