Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
On this page
- About the program
- Who can apply
- What supports may be available
- Apply to the program
- Proof of identity documents
- After you apply
- If you already applied under the Vaccine Injury Support Program
- If you were vaccinated in Quebec
- Policy framework
- Program data and statistics
- Contact us
About the program
The Vaccine Impact Assistance Program (VIAP) provides support to people in Canada who have been assessed as having been seriously and permanently injured as a result of receiving a Health Canada-authorized vaccine.
This is a no-fault program. This means applicants aren't required to prove that anyone was negligent or responsible in order to be considered for financial support. Medical experts review applications to determine whether a vaccine likely caused an injury. Eligibility for financial supports is based on the severity of the injury and its long-term impact on daily life.
The program was first announced in 2020 and began accepting applications in 2021 under its former name, the Vaccine Injury Support Program.
As of April 1, 2026, the Government of Canada administers the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program.
Learn more:
Vaccine safety
Serious side effects from vaccines are rare. Vaccination remains one of the best ways to protect people in Canada from serious infectious diseases. Vaccines used in Canada must meet strict safety standards and continue to be monitored after approval.
Learn more:
- Vaccine safety and possible side effects
- Keeping health products in Canada safe
- Regulating vaccines for human use in Canada
Who can apply
You may be eligible if:
- you experienced a serious and permanent injury as a result of receiving a Health Canada-authorized vaccine and
- the vaccine was administered in Canada (except for Quebec) on or after December 8, 2020
A serious injury is one that is life-threatening or life-altering. It may require hospitalization and result in long-term disability, ongoing health problems or death.
An injury is considered permanent when medical evidence shows that it's not expected to significantly improve over time.
For the purposes of this program, vaccines are considered to have been given in Canada if you're a deployed:
- member of the Canadian Armed Forces (and your dependants)
- employee of the Government of Canada (and your dependants)
Learn more:
- Eligibility requirements: Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
- Catalogue of Health Canada-authorized vaccines (technical database)
Timelines
You must submit your application to the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program within 3 years after the date:
- of vaccination or
- of death or
- when an injury:
- first became apparent or
- when credible sources first established a link between the injury and a vaccine
- credible sources include the treating physician and public health authorities
Learn more:
What supports may be available
Supports may include:
- payment for injuries
- income payments
- payments towards eligible medical or rehabilitation expenses not covered by insurance or benefits
Financial support is also available to the dependent or beneficiary of someone who died as a result of vaccination, including financial support for funeral expenses.
Learn more:
Apply to the program
Step 1. Check if you're eligible
Before you apply, review the eligibility requirements to see if you qualify.
It will also help to have:
- information about the vaccine, including the date you received the vaccine
- details about your injury and the medical care you received
- a health care professional who can complete the required medical history form
Eligibility requirements: Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
Medical history form for completion by a health care professional
Download the medical history form for the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program (PDF, 986 KB).
To receive the printed form by mail, contact us by phone. You'll need to provide your mailing address.
Step 2. Apply
You can apply:
- online through the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program Claimant Portal
- by mail using printed application forms sent to the program mailing address
As part of your application, you must submit a:
- completed claim intake form
- medical history form completed by a health care professional
- copy of your record of vaccination
- copy of a valid government-issued ID that confirms your identity (such as a passport, driver's licence, or provincial ID card)
Details on proof of identity documents
These forms provide basic information about your vaccination, medical history and injury.
You may choose to have an authorized representative help with submitting and managing your application.
Learn more:
Proof of identity documents
Basic requirements
- Claimants must submit 1 piece of identification (ID), from the 'Accepted proof of identity documentation' list.
- If the claimant has a different legal name from what is on the ID, additional documents will need to be provided (consult 'Legal name change').
- The document must be valid and not expired.
- The document must include the claimant's current legal name (consult 'Legal name change').
- The document must include the claimant's date of birth.
- We do not accept non-photo health cards, social insurance numbers, tax documents or bank statements.
- The document must be a photocopy for mailed applications or in digital format for electronic submissions (for example, a picture taken from a smartphone or a scanned image).
- The copy of the original document must be clear and legible.
- If a document has information on more than 1 page, all pages must be provided.
- If a document has information on both the front and back, both sides must be provided.
- Only English or French documents will be accepted, unless accompanied by an acceptable translation (consult 'Language of documents').
Learn more:
Accepted proof of identity documentation
- Canadian passport
- Foreign passport issued by a federal, provincial, territorial or state government authority, or the equivalent abroad (consult 'Language of documents')
- Certificate of Canadian Citizenship issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Permanent Resident Card issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Secure Certificate of Indian Status issued by Health Canada, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada or Indigenous Services Canada
- Provincial or territorial driver's licence
- Provincial or territorial photo card (ID card or photo health card)
- Firearms licence issued by a province or territory, or by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- Photo employee identification card issued by the federal government, or a provincial or territorial government
- Parole ID issued by the Parole Board of Canada, or by Ontario, Alberta or Quebec
- Birth certificate issued by the vital statistics agency in the province or territory of birth
- Certificate of registration of birth abroad issued by a federal, provincial, territorial or state government authority, or the equivalent (consult 'Language of documents')
If applying by mail, do not send us original documents.
Learn more:
Legal name change
If the claimant has a different legal name from what is on the ID, you need to provide a document with the new legal name.
Acceptable documents for legal name change
- Common-law relationship certificate
- Court order issued in or outside Canada, such as a:
- separation agreement
- divorce order or judgment
- Certificate to dissolve a registered common-law relationship
- Resumption of surname certificate
- Legal name-change certificate
- Adoption order
- Court order
If applying by mail, do not send us original documents.
Language of documents
All documents submitted must be in English or French. If the document isn't in English or French, it must be translated. You must submit a copy of the:
- original document in the original language and
- translated version of the document
Alongside the translation, you must also provide a copy of:
- an attestation from the person who completed the translation if they're a Canadian certified translator or
- a notarized affidavit from the person who completed the translation, swearing that the translation provided is a true and accurate version of the original text if they're a non-certified translator
Translations performed by the claimant or by the claimant's family members will not be accepted.
If applying by mail, do not send us original documents.
After you apply
After you submit your application, it goes through several stages of assessment before a decision is made about eligibility for financial support payments.
Eligibility review
Your application is first reviewed to confirm it meets the program's basic eligibility requirements.
If information is missing or your application doesn't qualify, you'll be contacted by a program representative.
Learn more:
- Eligibility requirements: Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
- Claims assessment: Policy Framework for the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
Medical records are collected
Our medical reviewers look at your application to decide which medical records are needed to assess your claim.
The required information depends on your diagnosis and circumstances.
If additional records are needed, you'll receive instructions on:
- what medical records are required
- how to obtain them
- where to send them
You're responsible for requesting these records from your health care professional and medical facilities.
Medical Assessment
Once all required documents are received, your application is reviewed by at least 2 physicians. They assess whether the:
- vaccine likely caused the injury
- injury is serious and permanent
The Medical Assessment is used to determine:
- whether you're eligible for financial support
- the amount of financial support for eligible applicants
Learn more:
Decision
You'll receive a Notice of Decision once the Medical Assessment is complete.
If you disagree with the decision, you may be able to request an appeal.
Learn more:
If you already applied under the Vaccine Injury Support Program
What you need to know
If you previously applied to the Vaccine Injury Support Program and haven't already received a decision on your application, your application is active and will be reviewed under the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program.
- You do not need to reapply unless you are contacted by the Program and instructed to do so.
- Your application number remains the same.
- Documents you previously submitted remain part of your file.
Medical Assessment decisions already made aren't automatically reopened.
If you're receiving financial support, your eligible payments will continue in accordance with the VIAP Policy Framework.
Information related to your application will be communicated:
- by phone from a Government program representative
- by mail
- through the Claimant Portal, where applicable, as it becomes available in the coming months
Your personal information
Applications or appeals submitted under the Vaccine Injury Support Program before April 1, 2026, have been transferred to the Government of Canada as part of the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program. We'll protect your privacy and handle your personal information as required by the Privacy Act.
The Privacy Act gives you the right to:
- access and request a correction and/or notation to your personal information held by the government
- have your personal information protected against unauthorized use and sharing
- file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you feel your personal information has been handled improperly
Access to your personal file may not be available immediately as we work on developing the Claimant Portal features. Details on how you can request access to or correct your personal information will be shared once available.
Learn more:
If you were vaccinated in Quebec
The Government of Quebec has an existing program. If you were vaccinated in Quebec, you must apply for support through this program instead.
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: Government of Québec
Policy framework
The VIAP operates according to a formal policy framework. This framework describes:
- eligibility requirements
- what a medical assessment is
- what categories of financial support may be available
- the appeals process
Learn more:
Program data and statistics
Statistics and data from the former program
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is providing program data from the former Vaccine Injury Support Program. It was administered by a third party before April 1, 2026.
Table 1 reflects program activity under the former third-party administrator between June 1, 2021 to November 30, 2025. This was prior to the launch of the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program on April 1, 2026. PHAC will update this page to include the remaining data from December 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 as soon as that data is available.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total number of claims received | 3,557 |
| Number of claims pending administrative review for eligibility | 88 |
| Number of claims with administrative review completed | 3,469 |
| Number of claims that are inadmissible | 451 |
| Number of claims that are admissible | 3,018 |
| Number of claims in the process of collecting medical records | 852 |
| Number of claims pending Medical Review Board assessment | 51 |
| Number of claims that have been assessed by the Medical Review Board | 1,433 |
| Number of claims approved by the Medical Review Board | 252 |
| Number of appeals received | 551 |
| Number of appeals assessed by the Medical Review Board | 163 |
| Number of appeals approved by the Medical Review Board | 11 |
| Total amount of financial support paid out to claimants | $ 21,474,722 |
Transition to the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
PHAC is updating approaches to data collection and reporting under the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program.
We'll publish updated statistics for the program in the coming months.
As part of the transition, PHAC received information from multiple data sources from the former third-party administrator, including over 350,000 documents for ongoing and completed claims under the former Vaccine Injury Support Program.
Approximately 2,000 existing applications will be reviewed and processed under the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program.
Learn more:
Contact us
If you have questions or need help, we can be contacted in the following ways.
Telephone (toll-free): 1-833-489-0839
TTY: 1-833-803-8698
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, local time
Mail:
Vaccine Impact Assistance Program
PO Box 5000
Bathurst NB
E2A 5B8