About This Publication
My name is David J. Carney. I am a vaccine injury attorney who has practiced almost exclusively in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) since 2010. Over the course of my career, I have represented individuals and families across the United States who suffered serious injuries following vaccination, navigating the complex legal, medical, and scientific issues that arise in vaccine injury claims.
I currently practice at Green & Schafle LLC, a law firm with a national practice that includes vaccine injury litigation, as well as personal injury, mass torts, asbestos and toxic tort litigation, medical malpractice, automobile negligence, unsafe drugs and medical devices, products liability, and estate matters. I also serve as President of the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association (VIP Bar). This publication, however, is written solely in my personal capacity and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Green & Schafle LLC, the VIP Bar, or any other law firm, professional association, or organization.
Viruses don’t play politics. Vaccine policy and vaccine injury discussions shouldn’t either.
Why This Substack Exists
Vaccine injury law is one of the most misunderstood areas of American law.
Public discussions about vaccines often collapse into false binaries: pro-vaccine versus anti-vaccine, science versus skepticism, public health versus individual harm. These framings do not reflect reality. They do not serve individuals who are genuinely injured by vaccines, and they do not promote informed public confidence in vaccination programs.
This Substack exists to provide clear, accurate, and grounded explanations of:
how the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program actually works,
what vaccines and injuries are covered under the VICP,
why some vaccine injury claims succeed while others do not, and
where public narratives diverge from legal standards and scientific evidence.
It also addresses the unresolved and increasingly important issue of COVID vaccine injuries, including why those claims are currently excluded from the VICP, the limitations of the existing compensation framework, and the policy choices that have left many injured individuals without meaningful recourse.
What I Stand For
I believe the following principles are not in conflict; they are essential to one another:
Vaccines are among the most important public health advances in modern medicine.
Rare but serious vaccine injuries do occur and deserve recognition and compensation.
A fair and transparent compensation system strengthens public trust in vaccination programs rather than undermining it.
Science, law, and public policy serve different roles and should not be conflated.
Honest discussion and accountability are critical to maintaining confidence in both vaccine safety and public health institutions.
Advocating for individuals injured by vaccines does not require rejecting science or opposing vaccination. Likewise, supporting vaccination does not require denying injury or dismissing those who suffer real harm.
A compensation system that acknowledges injury honestly and responds to it fairly is a cornerstone of a functioning public health framework.
The Mission of This Publication
The mission of this Substack is to:
advocate for individuals injured by vaccines,
dispel persistent myths about vaccine injury litigation,
explain the legal and scientific realities of the VICP,
address structural failures in vaccine injury compensation, including the exclusion of COVID vaccines from the VICP, and
promote common-sense reforms that expand access to compensation while preserving scientific progress, innovation, and vaccine availability.
That includes supporting reforms that would allow more injured individuals to access the VICP while maintaining the conditions necessary for the continued development of safe, effective, and technologically advanced vaccines.
What This Publication Is—and Is Not
This Substack is:
educational and evidence-based,
focused on law, science, and public policy, and
critical where warranted and restrained where appropriate.
This Substack is not:
an anti-vaccine platform,
a substitute for legal advice,
a substitute for medical advice
a solicitation for legal representation, or
a forum for conspiracy theories or ideological rhetoric.
No attorney–client relationship is created by reading or subscribing to this publication.
Independence and Transparency
All views expressed here are my own. They do not represent the views of Green & Schafle LLC, the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association, or any governmental or professional body. Any sponsorships supporting this publication are clearly disclosed and do not influence editorial content.
Closing Perspective
Vaccines save lives.
Injuries deserve accountability.
Public trust depends on honesty.
“Viruses don’t play politics. Vaccine policy and vaccine injury discussions shouldn’t either.”
This publication exists to operate at the intersection of science, law, and human consequences—without rhetoric, without ideology, and without pretending that difficult realities do not exist.
