{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422-1","petitioner_identifier":"Sharon Volpe","is_minor":null,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":"years (no age in source - verified)","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2013-11-08","condition_raw":"undifferentiated connective tissue disease","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"dismissed","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2022-11-07","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T00:46:10.583678+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":10,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2016-10-28","case_summary":"Sharon Volpe filed a petition alleging that the influenza vaccine she received on November 8, 2013, caused her to suffer undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition. The case proceeded as an off-Table claim, requiring Ms. Volpe to prove causation-in-fact under the Loving test. She presented medical records and expert testimony from rheumatologist Dr. Lige Rushing and immunologist Dr. James DeAngelo, who opined that the vaccine likely triggered her UCTD, citing theories like polyclonal B cell activation and Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA). Respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, presented expert testimony from rheumatologist Dr. Erin Wilfong and immunologist Dr. Arnold Levinson. The respondent's experts argued that Ms. Volpe likely had an emerging connective tissue disease prior to vaccination, evidenced by pre-vaccination autoantibodies and symptoms like morning stiffness, and that her post-vaccination progression was a typical disease course, not caused by the vaccine. They also critiqued the petitioner's causation theories, particularly the applicability of the Brauner study and the ASIA concept, and cited epidemiological studies suggesting flu vaccine safety in rheumatic disease patients. The Special Master found that Ms. Volpe did not meet her burden of proof for a medical theory causally connecting the vaccine to her UCTD, nor did she establish a logical sequence of cause and effect or a proximate temporal relationship that was medically acceptable for vaccine causation. The court also found that the evidence did not preponderantly show a significant aggravation of a pre-existing condition, as Ms. Volpe's condition appeared to follow a typical disease progression. Consequently, the petition was dismissed for lack of entitlement.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Daniel T. Horner","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"Jeffrey A. Golvash","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Golvash & Epstein, LLC","petitioner_attorney_location":"Pittsburgh, PA","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|jeffrey-golvash|","firm_canonical_key":"golvash-and-epstein","package_title":"VOLPE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422-0","title":"VOLPE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 06/22/2022) regarding 109 DECISION of Special Master - Interim Attorney's Fees. Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (mly) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2022-07-19","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422-1","title":"VOLPE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/12/2022) regarding 114 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Daniel T. Horner. (mly). Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2022-11-07","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422-1/pdf","pdf_bytes":495261,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision of special master'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422/USCOURTS-cofc-1_16-vv-01422-1"}]}