William Pistulka v. HHS - Influenza, shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) (2025)

On June 3, 2021, William Pistulka filed a petition alleging that an influenza vaccine administered on October 2, 2020 caused shoulder injury related to vaccine administration. The vaccination record listed the situs as the right deltoid, but Mr.

Pistulka maintained that the shot was given high in his left shoulder and caused almost immediate pain shooting down his left arm. On November 19, 2020, he reported left shoulder pain after the flu shot, with pain ranging from 2 to 10 out of 10 and difficulty doing a manual-labor job that involved lifting boxes.

Physical therapy on November 25 documented reduced strength, limited range of motion, positive impingement signs, and numbness and tingling in the thumb and index finger. He attended one more therapy session, then stopped largely because of cost and insurance concerns.

In March and April 2021, he saw a chiropractor, reporting persistent left shoulder pain after the vaccination and inability to comb his hair or shave. Respondent disputed several Table elements, including the injection shoulder, the six-month severity requirement, onset within forty-eight hours, shoulder-limited symptoms, and whether work could explain the pain.

Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran found the left-shoulder situs more likely than the computer-generated record, credited the immediate-onset evidence, found the residual effects lasted more than six months, and found the shoulder presentation sufficient despite adjacent symptoms.

On June 27, 2025, he awarded $30,000.00 for actual pain and suffering, noting a painful but relatively limited course with only two therapy visits and brief chiropractic care.