{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-0","petitioner_identifier":"William Pistulka","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":null,"age_unit_raw":"years (no exact age in source - adult self-filed petition or competent adult)","vaccine_type":"influenza vaccine","vaccination_date":"2020-10-02","condition_raw":"shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA)","condition_category":"SIRVA","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"compensated","award_amount_usd":30000,"decision_date":"2025-06-27","extraction_version":"manual-supplement-redo-2026-05-normal21","extracted_at":"2026-05-04 05:22:35","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":0,"theory_of_causation":"Influenza vaccine October 2, 2020 causing Table SIRVA; adult, exact age not stated; onset immediate/same day. ENTITLEMENT GRANTED; COMPENSATED. Key evidence: vaccination record said right deltoid but petitioner credibly described left shoulder administration; Nov. 19 left shoulder pain after flu shot; Nov. 25 PT with severe pain, limited ROM, weakness, positive impingement signs, thumb/index symptoms; March/April chiropractic notes showed ongoing left shoulder pain just beyond six months. Respondent challenged situs, onset, severity, shoulder-limited pain, and work as alternative cause; SM found Table SIRVA satisfied. Award $30,000 pain/suffering. Chief SM Brian H. Corcoran; petition June 3, 2021; decision June 27, 2025.","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2021-06-03","case_summary":"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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nRespondent 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.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"William Pistulka","petitioner_attorney_name":"Leigh Finfer","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Muller Brazil, LLP","petitioner_attorney_location":"Dresher, PA","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:43:31","attorney_canonical_keys":"|leigh-finfer|","firm_canonical_key":"muller-brazil","package_title":"PISTULKA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-0","title":"PISTULKA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 06/27/2025) regarding 40 Ruling on Entitlement, DECISION of Special Master, Order on Motion for Ruling on the Record. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (cr) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-07-29","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":334642,"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_21-vv-01429/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-1","title":"PISTULKA v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 11/19/2025) regarding 47 DECISION of Special Master - Fees. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (cr) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2025-12-23","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-cl-extra-11230581","title":"Pistulka v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","docket_text":"Supplementary opinion from CourtListener cluster 10763996","date_issued":"2025-12-23","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"CL supplement: Pistulka v. Secretary of Health and Human Services","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-01429-cl-extra-11230581"}]}