as a result, the cicp conducts medical reviews of each cicp claim to determine if it meets the statutory standard . this detailed review includes an iterative process of obtaining and reviewing comprehensive medical documentation from cicp requesters and closely reviewing and monitoring the medical literature. for compensable claims, the cicp must also collect detailed financial information given that the program, by statute, can provide compensation only after other third-party payers. at the time of the prep act declaration, the cicp had no direct appropriation and only four staff, we requested a congress provided a direct appropriation for the first time in the history of the program in fiscal year 2022. with these monies, we have increased hiring and now have over 35 full-time staff working to process claims. we have also implemented other key process improvements to resolve claims at a faster rate. in 2023, we average more than 90 claims resolved each month, up from zero per month the year before i started in this role. additionally, we are improving information technology and other

they are covered under cicp. where as most other widely distributed vaccines are covered under vicp. as of january 2024 cicp has compensated 11 claims out of the more than 12,000 that have been filed for covid-19 vaccines. because of its design cicp payments are also smaller than vicp. an average of about $3700 compared with $500,000 in vicp. it appears that cicp may not be designed or equipped to handle a vaccine that was so widely distributed and mandated for many as covid-19 vaccines were. i have concerns that we would not be able to expect people to line up and get vaccinated during the next pandemic if they feel that, in some way, they are going to be abandoned. this testimony is important to design better systems for the future and establishing best practices. i hope this hearing will provide us with an opportunity to discuss what lessons were learned during the pandemic, about our vaccine safety and surveillance systems. these lessons, i believe, are critical in preparing for future pandemics, which is the