Tdap shoulder injury compensation: what the cases paid

Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration after a Tdap booster is the second-largest shoulder claim in the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program after the flu shot. This registry holds 784 Tdap SIRVA cases; 95% of decided cases were compensated, the median award was $65K (middle half $45K to $94K), and the median time from petition to decision was 20 mo.

Tdap versus flu shot shoulder injuries

The two look alike because the injury is the same: a needle placed too high or too deep in the deltoid, into the bursa or the rotator cuff, followed by pain within 48 hours and a stiff shoulder that does not resolve. The Table criteria do not depend on which vaccine was in the syringe, only that it was given intramuscularly in the arm.

What decides the amount

Almost all of the award is pain and suffering, which the statute caps at $250,000. The Special Masters price it on three things: how long the shoulder hurt, how far treatment went (physical therapy, steroid injection, arthroscopic surgery), and whether any limitation remains. A shoulder that resolved within a year with therapy sits near the low end of the range above; a surgical shoulder with permanent loss of motion sits at the top. Lost wages and out-of-pocket expenses are added on top and are the main reason awards exceed the pain-and-suffering figure.

What you have to show

For a Table claim: no history of pain or dysfunction in that shoulder before the shot, pain beginning within 48 hours, symptoms limited to the vaccinated shoulder, and no other condition that would explain them. Bring the vaccination record showing the arm, the first medical visit where you reported the pain, and the imaging. The most common reason a Tdap SIRVA claim is contested is a gap between the shot and the first documented complaint.

Related: SIRVA economics · SIRVA claims overview · All Tdap cases