Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches HHS initiative to study vaccine injuries

Oct 8, 2026

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a broad federal initiative to study and document potential vaccine injuries. Unveiled during an October 5, 2026, visit to the National Institutes of Health, the program establishes a dedicated research clinic in Bethesda, Maryland, overhauls the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) via a $990,000 CDC contract, and proposes CMS reimbursement codes for physicians reporting suspected side effects. Public health experts warn these measures risk generating uncorroborated signals that inflate perceived risks and erode vaccine trust.

Launch of the HHS vaccine injury initiative

▪The HHS vaccine injury initiative requires electronic health records to include vaccine-related adverse events under standards set by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
▪The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a department-wide initiative during the week of October 5, 2026, to study and document reported health problems and injuries following vaccination.
▪U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled the vaccine injury initiative during an October 5, 2026, visit to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

New NIH clinic for Post-vaccination health issues

▪The National Institutes of Health opened a dedicated research clinic on October 5, 2026, in Bethesda, Maryland, to study and treat patients experiencing post-vaccination health issues.
▪An internal National Institutes of Health memo indicates the new Bethesda clinic will launch an observational study following vaccinated individuals to analyze potential complications, schedules, and treatments.

Overhaul of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System

▪The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded a $990,000 contract on September 28, 2026, to SPN Solutions Inc. to modernize the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
▪HHS plans to overhaul the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System to make it accessible on mobile devices and add analytical tools for vaccine injury researchers.

Proposal to reimburse doctors for VAERS reporting

▪The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed billing codes to reimburse healthcare providers for the time spent reporting suspected vaccine injuries to VAERS.
▪Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse criticized the HHS physician reimbursement plan, stating that paying doctors without requiring proof invites higher insurance costs, waste, and abuse.
▪Vaccine lawyer Richard Hughes cautioned that reimbursing physicians for filing VAERS reports without parallel controlled studies risks creating a flood of uncorroborated injury signals.

Dr. Peter Hotez's assessment

▪Dr. Peter Hotez stated that the new HHS initiative is an attempt to sow doubt in vaccines while US immunization rates fall and preventable diseases resurge.
▪Dr. Peter Hotez stated that the United States already maintains a highly advanced vaccine surveillance system capable of detecting extremely rare side effects like myocarditis and blood clots.

Dr. Paul Offit's warnings

▪Dr. Paul Offit stated that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. holds an unproven bias that vaccines cause chronic diseases regardless of conflicting scientific evidence.
▪Dr. Paul Offit warned that the new HHS initiative gives Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a platform to generate biased studies that undermine public confidence in vaccines.

Kennedy's Children's Health Defense address

▪During his September 17, 2026, address to Children's Health Defense, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is ineffective for detecting rare vaccine injuries.
▪During an address to Children's Health Defense, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed vaccines were linked to the chronic disease epidemic, diabetes, SIDS, and asthma.

CDC vaccine advisory Committee overhaul

▪In his first year heading HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced all 17 independent members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with new panelists.
▪Before court intervention, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s revised vaccine advisory panel recommended weakening support for established immunizations and promoted theories linking vaccines to chronic diseases.

Childhood immunization schedule changes

▪In January 2026, the CDC introduced a revamped childhood schedule that eliminated universal recommendations for flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B at birth.
▪A federal court issued a preliminary injunction in March 2026 blocking key parts of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s changes to the CDC childhood immunization schedule.

Debatable claims

▪Existing U.S. vaccine surveillance systems are sufficient to detect rare side effects
▪HHS Secretary Kennedy's vaccine injury initiative undermines public trust in routine immunizations
▪CMS should reimburse healthcare providers for reporting suspected vaccine injuries