Guillain-Barré syndrome claims: what 2,265 court records show
GBS is the second-most-common condition in the VICP record. Of 2,265 decided GBS cases, 82% were compensated; the median award is $160,000 and the median time from filing to decision is 20.5 months. The vaccine most frequently named in these petitions is influenza.
GBS following seasonal influenza vaccination was added to the Vaccine Injury Table in 2017 with a 3–42-day onset window. Claims that fit the Table's criteria receive a legal presumption of causation, which is why most GBS-influenza cases resolve by stipulation rather than a contested hearing. Claims outside the Table window must prove causation case-by-case under the Althen standard and are contested more often.
About this data. Computed from every published VICP decision indexed by this registry (12,882 cases as of 2026-07-11), from the public dockets of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Median figures exclude a small number of records with unusable award data. Most compensated cases resolve by stipulation or proffer (negotiated settlement) rather than a litigated finding; an award is the court's resolution of an individual legal claim, not a medical or scientific finding about vaccines generally. Past awards do not predict any individual outcome.