{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01720","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_20-vv-01720-1","petitioner_identifier":"Michael Mantagas","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":37.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2019-11-18","condition_raw":"shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA)","condition_category":"SIRVA","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"compensated","award_amount_usd":75715,"decision_date":"2023-07-17","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T03:00:18.511067+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Michael Mantagas, age 37, received an influenza vaccine on November 18, 2019. He alleged a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA). The respondent conceded that the injury met the SIRVA criteria on the Vaccine Injury Table. The Special Master found that Mr. Mantagas established a moderately severe injury for 11 months, persisting at a milder level for another 18 months. The award was $75,000.00 for pain and suffering and $715.00 for unreimbursed expenses, totaling $75,715.00. The public decision does not detail the specific mechanism of injury or name any medical experts. Petitioner counsel was Muller Brazil, LLP, and respondent counsel was the U.S. Department of Justice. Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran issued the Ruling on Entitlement on April 4, 2022, and the Decision Awarding Damages on July 17, 2023.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2020-12-01","case_summary":"Michael Mantagas, a 37-year-old adult, filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program on December 1, 2020. He alleged that he suffered a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) as a result of an influenza vaccine administered in his left deltoid on November 18, 2019. The respondent, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, filed a Rule 4(c) report on April 1, 2022, conceding that Mr. Mantagas's alleged injury was consistent with the SIRVA criteria set forth in the Vaccine Injury Table and that compensation was appropriate. Specifically, the respondent noted that Mr. Mantagas had no prior history of shoulder pain or dysfunction, that his pain onset occurred within 48 hours post-vaccination, that his pain and reduced range of motion were limited to the vaccinated shoulder, and that no other condition explained his symptoms. Based on the respondent's concession, Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran issued a Ruling on Entitlement in Mr. Mantagas's favor on April 4, 2022. Following the entitlement ruling, the parties were unable to resolve the issue of damages. On June 14, 2023, Chief Special Master Corcoran issued a Decision Awarding Damages. The public decision does not describe the specific onset of symptoms, the exact nature of the pain, or the specific medical tests performed beyond an MRI. It also does not name petitioner's counsel or respondent's counsel in the decision text itself, though their firms are listed. The decision states that Mr. Mantagas received the influenza vaccine in his left arm on November 18, 2019. Approximately 53 days later, on January 10, 2020, he sought care for left shoulder and upper arm pain, rated 8/10 and worsening, exacerbated by activity. An initial examination revealed no swelling or tenderness but pain with certain movements and pain on rotator cuff testing, with full strength. An X-ray showed no fracture, dislocation, or arthritis. He was diagnosed with a likely rotator cuff tear and prescribed medication and physical therapy (PT). His initial PT evaluation reported pain from 6 to 9/10, inability to tolerate overhead activity, and moderately limited range of motion and strength. After 13 PT sessions over seven weeks, he reported limited symptom relief and no objective progress. A June 16, 2020 MRI showed mild supraspinatus tendinosis and a low-grade linear tear within the distal fibers of the supraspinatus tendon. In October 2020, he reported persistent pain rated at 5/10, with unchanged exam findings. He was not interested in surgery and was considering a cortisone injection. A second opinion in October 2020 noted painful but full range of motion and full strength, with positive impingement signs, and recommended further PT. In June 2021, he reported increased pain rated at 8/10, with unchanged exam findings. His orthopedist again recommended PT, a cortisone injection, and surgery. There are no subsequent medical records in the provided text. Mr. Mantagas averred that his initial pain was consistently 8-10/10, impacting his ability to care for his child and perform his job. He stopped in-person PT in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his high-risk status, favoring home exercises. He was laid off in March 2020 and rehired in October 2020, with the shoulder injury continuing to disrupt his work. He continued home exercises but expressed concerns about further in-person PT due to COVID-19 variants and a phobia of surgical procedures/anesthesia, which delayed consideration of surgery. Chief Special Master Corcoran found that Mr. Mantagas established a moderately severe injury for 11 months, persisting at a milder level for another 18 months. The Special Master awarded Mr. Mantagas $75,715.00, comprising $75,000.00 for actual pain and suffering and $715.00 for actual unreimbursed expenses, based on the evidence and comparison to prior SIRVA cases.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Michael Mantagas","petitioner_attorney_name":"Maximillian J. Muller","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Muller Brazil, LLP","petitioner_attorney_location":"Dresher, PA","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:44:20","attorney_canonical_keys":"|maximillian-muller|","firm_canonical_key":"muller-brazil","package_title":"MANTAGAS v. 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