Close

Illinois Vaccine Lawyer

Phyllis Widman, Esq. is admitted to file claims for vaccine related injuries occurring in the State of Illinois. The admission to practice in the Court of Federal Claims, the Court in which vaccine injury claims are heard, allows attorneys such as Phyllis Widman, Esq. to bring vaccine injury claims in all 50 states and D.C., including Illinois. Whether you are in Chicago, Springfield, Rockford, Aurora, Joliet, Naperville, Elgin, Peoria, Champaign, or anywhere in between, Widman Law Firm is ready to provide you with high quality legal representation for your vaccine injury claim across the state of Illinois.

The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

In the late 1970’s and early 80’s, a number of lawsuits alleging permanent injuries in children had been filed against Pertussis vaccine manufacturers. By 1985, every manufacturer in the U.S. except for one had ceased production of that vaccine. In response to the falling vaccination rate, in 1986, the U.S. Government passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act: a tort legislature that protects vaccine manufacturers from liability in the event of injuries arising from a vaccine.

This Act established the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, or VICP - the program by which injured people could be compensated for their damages, lost wages and medical expenses.


Funded by a tax of 75 cents taken from every vaccine purchase and allocated to the program, the VICP has awarded over $4.4 BILLION dollars to vaccine-injured petitioners to date. As of 2017, the program includes 14 adverse reactions to 17 different vaccines. Those injuries include:

  • SIRVA, or Shoulder Injury as a Result of Vaccine Administration:
  • GBS, or Guillain-Barre Syndrome:
  • CIDP, or Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy:
  • ADEM, or Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis:
  • Death;
  • And more

Some of the routinely administered vaccines covered by the VICP:

  • Seasonal flu shot
  • MMR (Measels, Mumps, Rubella)
  • Hepatitis B
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Combinations of the Diptheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis vaccines (DTP, DTaP, Tdap, DT, Td, TT)
  • Polio
  • Varicella (chickenpox)
  • And more

To qualify for compensation from the VICP, a case must meet the following three criteria: the injury must have been caused by a vaccine covered under the VICP; the injury itself must be on the Vaccine Injury Table; and the injury must have occurred within a certain timeframe.

The VICP, also known as the Office of Special Masters, is a division of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Being a legal system, it is best to proceed with a specialized personal injury lawyer - though one may reserve the right to represent themselves if desired. Due to the national jurisdiction of vaccine court, cases are heard from all over the nation, and are therefore almost always handled via video conference without needing to physically appear in court. Further, the VICP pays petitioners’ legal fees (or costs, if they represent themselves) so they can keep 100% of their awarded compensation.

VICP injury awards include: up to $250,000 for pain and suffering; uncapped reimbursement of medical and projected cost of living expenses; and reimbursement of lost income. If a vaccine injury resulted in death, the estate of the injured may receive a death benefit of up to $250,000.

The Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program

Anticipating lawsuits against medical devices, medicines, and vaccines hastily developed in times of emergency, drug companies lobbied in Washington for special protections. In 2005, the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness, or PREP, Act was passed, absolving manufacturers of liability relating to the “manufacture, testing, development, distribution, administration and use of medical countermeasures against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents of terrorism, epidemics, and pandemics.”

Most recently, one such countermeasure covered under the CICP has been the COVID-19 vaccine.

Similar to how the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act established the VICP, the PREP Act established the CICP: a system to compensate the individuals damaged by emergency countermeasures. While the CICP is not a legal system like the VICP, it is still recommended to proceed with a vaccine injury attorney qualified to navigate the program. However, this program does not reimburse claimants’ attorneys fees.

Compensation under the CICP includes up to $379,000 in lost income (limited to $50,000 per year) and the payment of “reasonable” medical costs, past, present and future, related to the countermeasure injury. If a death occurred from a countermeasure-related injury, the estate of the deceased may be awarded up to $370,000.

Experienced Vaccine Lawyers Who Will Fight for YOU

Advances in immunization have been some of our greatest medical achievements, and getting vaccinated is an important and necessary practice - but statistically, there is unfortunately always a cost. Some people injured by vaccines make a full recovery in a few months, while some may never return to work and others may never return to living a normal life. Vaccine injury is real, it’s terrifying, and in some cases it’s completely debilitating, despite claims to the contrary.

At Widman Law Firm, we specialize in vaccine injury cases first and foremost. With years of trial experience and millions of dollars won for clients, Phyllis Widman and her associates are prepared to fight until you get what’s rightfully yours.

Call or email us today for a free consultation, and find out how we can file your vaccine injury claim in the VICP, or your COVID-19 countermeasure injury claim in the CICP.


Client Reviews
★★★★★
"Phyllis Widman and her staff are the type of people you want fighting for you. They are organized, tenacious, thorough and compassionate. They understand how to work with the government and medical communities. If you are lucky to have Phyllis and her team work for you, you will be successful with your case." Bob and Ann, Waretown, NJ
★★★★★
"I can sit here and write you a book about how hard she works for her clients. Long story short All around great lawyer highly recommended" Anonymous
★★★★★
"Phyllis Widman, and staff, after years of continuous working on my behalf, keeping in touch with me every step of the way, for years, was happy to inform me that we had won the case. It wasn't easy, but she never gave up. Always answering my emails, and on top of my case. If you are looking for someone you can trust, and have faith in her and her team, will try very hard to get the right and fair results for you." Jim S.
★★★★★
"I hired Phyllis Widman to assist me with the denial of my religious exemption for the COVID vaccine and employment termination by my employer. Phyllis was extremely knowledgeable and clearly explained to me about my legal rights and the legal process. I found her to be very efficient, organized, and passionate about her work and I especially liked that she really cared about me as a person and truly wanted what was best for me. I am very grateful to say, I did have a successful outcome. The religious exemption denial was overturned and I am back to work. I highly recommend Phyllis Widman." Kimberly R.
★★★★★
"Phyllis and her team took care of everything after my injury. When I was hurt, I was unsure who to speak to, as I'm quite young and typically "let things go." After a few recommendations and the first phone call I knew I was in good hands. I don't know where I'd be right now if I didn't make that simple first phone call. A thank you just isn't enough, but thank you so so much for what your firm does." Anonymous
★★★★★
"My experience with Phyllis Widman was excellent. I know that I would not have had the successful outcome that I did without the expertise and specialty training of Phyllis Widman. Phyllis worked tirelessly to make sure that my concerns were addressed, and my needs were met. Phyllis is extremely personable, friendly, comforting and very relatable. She is so well versed in the field of vaccine injury law. I am extremely fortunate to have found Phyllis for my case and would highly recommend her to anyone in search of a truly compassionate professional." Kristen M.
Contact Us