	Introduction

Four and a half months after announcing his decision to vaccinate military personnel and front-line civilianhealth workers against smallpox, 3 months after the vaccination program officiallybegan, and 7 weeks after Senator Gregg introduced the administration smallpox vaccine injurycompensation proposal, President George W. Bush, on April 30, 2003, signed the SmallpoxEmergency Personnel Protection Act of 2003 ( P.L. Compensation had emerged as a major obstacle to the implementation of the Administration's smallpox vaccination program soon after it began. The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act ( P.L. This report includes details of H.R. The Secretary ofHealth and Human Services will establish regulations and will run the compensation program. The program will pay lost employment income compensation inaddition to payment for covered medical care, but survivors cannot receive both lost income anddeath benefits. (Knowing the chain of contact would be important,however, for public health reasons.) 108-20 addresses compensation of health care and emergency workers who volunteer and receive smallpox vaccine-related injuries resulting from an HHS Secretary's declaration of the needto prepare for bioterrorist actions.
Four and a half months after announcing his decision to vaccinate military personnel and front-line civilian health workers against smallpox, President George W. Bush, on April 30, 2003, signedthe Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act of 2003 ( P.L. 108-20 ). Under the new law, thefederal government will provide -- to eligible individuals (or their survivors), for covered injuries-- payment for related medical care, lost employment income, and death benefits.
Compensation had emerged as a major obstacle to the successful implementation of the Administration's smallpox vaccination program. Worker groups, public health experts, and otherscited the lack of a clear and comprehensive compensation program as a primary reason for the lowerthan expected volunteer vaccination rate among health care workers.
The enacted legislation is modeled after the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program. It provides for compensation of individuals injured by vaccinations given as part of a countermeasureplan declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in preparation for potential hostileactivities involving the smallpox virus.
This report will be updated as warranted.