Tammy Ross v. HHS - Influenza, left shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) (2025)

Tammy Ross filed her petition on September 15, 2022, alleging that an influenza vaccination administered in her left arm on October 11, 2021 caused a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration. She alleged that the injury fit the Vaccine Injury Table's SIRVA framework, occurred after a vaccine administered in the United States, lasted more than six months, and had not been the subject of any prior civil award or settlement.

Ross was represented by John Robert Howie of Howie Law, PC. Respondent denied that Ross sustained a SIRVA Table injury, denied that the flu vaccine caused her alleged left shoulder injury or any other injury, and denied that any current condition was a sequela of a vaccine-related injury.

The public compensation decision and stipulation do not describe her first shoulder symptom, exact onset interval, medical visits, range-of-motion findings, imaging, injections, therapy, surgery, work limitations, or daily-life impact. The available victim story is therefore limited: Ross tied a left-shoulder injury to the October 2021 flu shot; respondent disputed Table injury and causation; and the parties resolved the case by stipulation after additional entitlement and damages briefing had occurred.

On December 18, 2025, Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran found the stipulation reasonable and adopted it as the decision awarding compensation.

Ross received $99,500.00 through counsel's IOLTA account for prompt disbursement, representing all Vaccine Act damages available under Section 15(a). A later March 23, 2026 decision addressed attorney's fees and costs, not additional injury compensation.

The Special Master awarded $48,349.07 for fees and costs, consisting of $47,147.50 in attorney's fees and $1,201.57 in costs. The fees decision noted that the case had required additional briefing on entitlement and damages, but did not add further clinical facts about Ross's shoulder injury.