Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP): Administrative Implementation, Final Rule

This document adopts the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program Administrative Implementation Interim Final Rule as the final rule with technical amendments. The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to establish the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP or Program). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing this final rule to adopt the administrative policies, procedures, and requirements for the CICP set out in the interim final rule, which was published and effective on October 15, 2010. This Program is designed to provide benefits to certain persons who sustain serious physical injuries or death as a direct result of administration or use of covered countermeasures identified by the Secretary in declarations issued under the PREP Act. In addition, the Secretary may provide death benefits to certain survivors of individuals who died as the direct result of such covered injuries or their health complications. The Secretary makes only minor technical amendments to the interim final rule, described below, and otherwise adopts the regulation as published on October 15, 2010.