The Public Health Agency of Canada is set to take over the country’s compensation program for individuals who have been severely injured by vaccines next year from an outside company that has been subject to criticism over its administration practices.
Guillaume Bertrand, director of communications for Health Minister Marjorie Michel, said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that a funding agreement with OXARO Inc., an Ottawa-based company, will conclude at the end of March.
He said the federal government plans to transition the administration of the Vaccine Injury Support Program to PHAC.
“This is also part of our commitment to significantly reducing reliance on external consultants, while improving the capacity of the public service to hire expertise in-house,” Mr. Bertrand said.
“We will publicly share further details on how the program will be delivered under PHAC when they become available.”
The decision to amend who administers the Vaccine Injury Support Program, or VISP, which allows Canadians to make claims for serious injuries and deaths related to Health Canada-approved vaccines, follows criticism, including from the federal Conservatives and New Democrats.
The political attention stemmed from a Global News investigation that detailed allegations about the company’s inability to manage the program that were levelled by injured claimants, as well as employees. The Globe and Mail has not independently spoken to these individuals.
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OXARO did not immediately issue comment on the coming transition of VISP to PHAC next year, nor did it respond to allegations made about how the company administers the program when contacted by e-mail on Tuesday afternoon.
The VISP was announced in December, 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was created to provide financial support for Canadians who experienced a serious and permanent injury after receiving a Health Canada-approved vaccine on or after Dec. 8, 2020.
It officially launched in June, 2021. The program applies to all individuals vaccinated in Canada, with the exception of those inoculated in Quebec who can receive coverage from the province’s compensation program.
Online statistics from June of this year indicate the VISP has received 3,317 claims and 234 have been approved by a medical review board that determined a “probable link between the injury and the vaccine and that the injury is serious and permanent.”
Mr. Bertrand said at Ms. Michel’s request, PHAC initiated an audit of OXARO and its management of the program. The audit process was accelerated this summer after an initial review was done on the program.
“PHAC has been reviewing the program to better inform its future delivery, given its complexity and importance,” Mr. Bertrand said.
In July, Ms. Michel said Ottawa would try to improve the program and that what it was hearing about it was “unacceptable.”
Mr. Bertrand said the government’s new approach will align with other Group of Seven countries that manage programs internally. PHAC will work closely with OXARO to ensure a smooth transition, he added. He also said the federal government understands some Canadians have faced challenges with the program.
The program defines a serious and permanent injury as a severe, life-threatening or life-altering injury that may require admission to hospital or prolong a hospital stay.
It also says there must be “persistent or significant disability or incapacity or where the outcome is a congenital malformation or death.”
Individuals who are deemed eligible may receive support such as income replacement indemnities, death benefits, coverage for funeral expenses and reimbursement for eligible costs that would otherwise be uncovered medical expenses.
A briefing note to inform the Health Minister about the VISP in June said OXARO advised the government that claims can take 12 to 18 months to process once they are assigned to a case manager. The note also said $80.8-million has been allocated to OXARO for administration and claim payments over five years.
