Vaccine Claims Impacted by Shutdown

The government shutdown, which has lasted a historical 35 days, has had a profound effect on the Department of Justice, the governmental legal body that defends and processes all vaccine claims in the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. **Source:** https://www.npr.org/2019/01/23/687949428/justice-delayed-is-justice-denied-as-government-shutdown-affects-federal-courts While the Department of Health and Human Services, the governmental body that reviews and processes vaccine claims, its attorneys were furloughed for all 35 days. Some of the ripple effects are: 1. Vaccine claims have been stalled due to DOJ attorneys being furloughed. 2. Vaccine settlements have been stalled 3. An already huge backlog of cases will continue to increase due to the month-long shutdown While the shutdown recently ended and January 28, 2019 was likely the first day for DOJ attorneys to return to work, the ripple effects have yet to been seen and may not be seen for several weeks.