A special appeals window for people whose COVID-19 vaccine injury compensation claims were decided before South Korea's special compensation law took effect closes on the 23rd. Appeals have been filed in only 3% of the roughly 75,000 earlier decisions, prompting the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to urge eligible claimants to apply before the deadline.
The Special Act on Compensation for Damage from COVID-19 Vaccination, which took effect on Oct. 23 last year, was created to compensate and support people who suffered harm to their life or health after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, the agency said on the 19th. The law includes provisions allowing a causal link between vaccination and an adverse reaction to be presumed more broadly than before.
As a result, people who already received a decision on compensation under the existing Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act before the special law took effect can have their cases reviewed again under the eased standards through a special appeal. Those whose cases were decided before the law took effect may file one appeal within one year of the law's effective date, or by the 23rd of this month. Those who received decisions afterward must apply within 90 days of being notified of the review results.
A total of 75,792 earlier compensation decisions are eligible for a special appeal. Of those, 2,265 appeals had been filed as of the 11th of this month, or 3.0% of the total. Claimants who miss the deadline cannot have their cases reviewed and decided by the reexamination committee under the special law. Cases in which claimants contested an earlier decision before the special law took effect and obtained a final court ruling are excluded from the special appeals process.
Vaccine recipients or bereaved family members who wish to apply should visit the public health center in the district where they are currently registered as residents and submit an appeal form along with supporting documents. Applications are reviewed and decided by the reexamination committee, after which the KDCA commissioner determines whether compensation will be granted.
"Little time is left for those who received compensation decisions before the special law took effect to have their cases reviewed again under the eased standards," KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said. "Please check your documents and apply quickly so that no one loses the chance to be reviewed because the deadline has passed."
