{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850-0","petitioner_identifier":"Jan Kelsey","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":45.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2017-10-02","condition_raw":"mixed fiber sensory neuropathy / small fiber neuropathy","condition_category":"small_fiber_neuropathy","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2026-02-10","extraction_version":"manual-supplement-redo-2026-05-normal09","extracted_at":"2026-05-04 03:25:37","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Influenza vaccine on October 2, 2017 at age 45 allegedly causing small fiber/mixed fiber sensory neuropathy with same-day/evening onset. DENIED. Petitioner expert Dr. Norman Latov first proposed molecular mimicry/bystander activation, then cytokine mechanism and mixed-fiber neuropathy. Respondent experts Dr. Pria Anand (neurology) and Dr. Herman Staats (immunology) disputed diagnosis/alternative causes and timing. Key evidence: prior Hep B/Tdap vaccines; anxiety/panic before flu shot; same-evening burning nerve sensation accepted as testimony; Nov 2017 numbness/tingling/shooting pains; normal EMG/NCS; skin biopsy consistent with small fiber neuropathy. SM Moran accepted mixed fiber sensory neuropathy as diagnosis but found no reliable theory, no medically appropriate one-day timing, and no logical sequence. Petition July 13, 2020; decision February 10, 2026. Attorney David P. Murphy.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2020-07-13","case_summary":"On July 13, 2020, Jan Kelsey filed a petition alleging that an influenza vaccine administered on October 2, 2017 caused a neurologic disorder. He was born in 1972 and was 45 years old at vaccination. Earlier pleadings and expert reports discussed CIDP and other vaccines, but the operative claim became that the flu vaccine caused small fiber or mixed fiber sensory neuropathy with symptoms beginning the evening after vaccination.\n\nBefore the flu shot, Mr. Kelsey had received hepatitis B and Tdap vaccinations for graduate school and had seen psychiatrist Dr. James Tandy for sudden panic and high anxiety. He testified that the evening after the flu shot his nerves felt as if they were on fire. The next day he received IV hydration and chelation from holistic practitioner Kevin Logan, but those early records did not document nerve complaints. By November 2017, Dr. Logan recorded anxiety, fatigue, \"vaccine injury,\" intermittent numbness and tingling, shooting pains in the arms and legs, and concern that symptoms could represent neural inflammation or Guillain-Barre syndrome. In February 2018, neurologist Dr. Donald Strobel recorded headaches and tingling, normal strength, normal EMG/NCS testing, and later a skin biopsy consistent with small fiber neuropathy.\n\nMr. Kelsey relied principally on neurologist Dr. Norman Latov. Dr. Latov initially proposed molecular mimicry and bystander activation, later shifting toward a cytokine-driven theory and characterizing the neuropathy as mixed small and large fiber involvement. Respondent relied on neurologist Dr. Pria Anand, who questioned the diagnosis and noted other possible causes, and immunologist Dr. Herman Staats, who disputed the proposed immune timing. Special Master Christian J. Moran accepted mixed fiber sensory neuropathy as the working diagnosis but found that the flu Vaccine Injury Table did not presume causation for that condition.\n\nOn February 10, 2026, Special Master Moran denied entitlement. He found that Dr. Latov had not supplied a reliable explanation for how vaccine-induced cytokines would injure peripheral nerves within about one day, that the one-day timing was not shown to be medically appropriate, and that treating-doctor notes did not establish a logical sequence of cause and effect. No compensation was awarded. Mr. Kelsey was represented by David P. Murphy.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Christian J. Moran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":null,"petitioner_attorney_name":"David P. Murphy","petitioner_attorney_firm":"David P. Murphy & Associates, P.C.","petitioner_attorney_location":"Greenfield, IN","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":null,"attorney_canonical_keys":"|david-murphy|","firm_canonical_key":"david-p-murphy-and-associates","package_title":"KELSEY v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850-0","title":"KELSEY v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 02/10/2026) regarding 215 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Special Master Christian J. Moran. (ceo) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2026-03-04","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":358692,"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_20-vv-00850/USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-00850-0"}]}