Jeanette Lingafelt v. HHS - Influenza, left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) and left carpal tunnel syndrome (2022)

Jeanette Lingafelt filed her petition on August 6, 2020, after receiving an influenza vaccination on October 20, 2017. She alleged that the vaccination caused a left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration and left carpal tunnel syndrome, and she stated that the residual effects lasted more than six months.

She was represented by Jimmy A. Zgheib of Zgheib Sayad PC.

Respondent disputed the claim. In the stipulation, respondent denied that Lingafelt suffered a Table SIRVA, denied that the influenza vaccine caused her left shoulder injury or left carpal tunnel syndrome, denied that the vaccine caused any other injury, and denied that any current condition was vaccine caused.

The case nevertheless resolved through a joint stipulation rather than a litigated entitlement decision. The public document is sparse about Lingafelt's clinical course.

It does not tell the reader when her first shoulder or hand symptoms began, whether she had immediate injection-site pain, what examinations showed, whether imaging or nerve testing was performed, or what treatments she received. It also does not describe how the alleged left shoulder condition and left carpal tunnel syndrome related to one another clinically.

What the public record does provide is the essential story of the claim: Lingafelt connected both a left shoulder injury and left carpal tunnel syndrome to the October 20, 2017 flu shot, respondent denied causation, and the parties compromised the disputed case. Chief Special Master Brian H.

Corcoran found the stipulation reasonable and adopted it as the decision on January 25, 2022. The compensation totaled $40,288.38.

Lingafelt received $40,233.91 as a lump sum, and $54.47 was paid to Equian to satisfy a Medicaid lien associated with her claim.