Consultancy under audit still handling federal vaccine injury claims: feds

Health officials say a consultancy firm facing heat for overseeing the federal vaccine injury compensation program is still responsible for reviewing injury claims.

Source: Rawpixel

Health officials say a consultancy firm facing heat for overseeing the federal vaccine injury compensation program is still responsible for reviewing injury claims despite an ongoing audit on the company’s alleged misallocation of funds. There is no “firm deadline” for the audit to be completed, according to the federal government.

During a House of Commons health committee meeting, Conservative MP Matt Strauss and others grilled the Liberal health minister Marjorie Michel, and Public Health Agency of Canada president Nancy Hamzawi on the status of the audit into OXARO, appropriate funding for those injured by the COVID vaccine and the overall success of the program.

OXARO has been accused of pocketing nearly 70 per cent of $50 million from taxpayers meant to go to the federal vaccine injury compensation fund.In an email to True North, the company said 55 per cent of the funding was allocated for the program’s implementation and administration. In comparison, 15 per cent was allocated for physicians.

During the committee, Strauss mentioned the story of Steven MacDougal, who recently died of myocarditis caused by a COVID vaccine injury, leaving behind two children and a wife. He noted that benefits from the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) are capped at $90,000 a year per claimant, less than the salary of a federal minister such as Michel.

Strauss asked Michel whether MacDougal’s life was worth less than her salary, advocating for increased compensation for his family.

“It’s up to $493,000 for the spouse, and 78,000 for the children. Up to those amounts,” Michel said in French. “Now I don’t know how many people have received them and why, because there’s an assessment that’s carried out on a case-by-case basis, and I cannot give you the details for each specific patient, but I know that it’s up to $493,000.”

Michel said the government wasn’t “satisfied” with how third-party consulting firm OXARO handled the program, which she said has been “repatriated” within the government.

Strauss echoed MacDougal’s twin sister’s request for transparency with the government’s VISP. Michel vowed the government was “absolutely prepared” to provide transparency to victims and Canadians.

Strauss noted that vaccine mandates were a key reason many took the shot, for which the government is now compensating people due to vaccine-related injuries. He asked Michel if she would commit to never instituting vaccine mandates of the exact nature again, but Michel refused.

“Vaccines protect lives. That’s proven by science, and depending on the situations in which we find ourselves, I cannot say to you today that I’m never going to do that. That’s impossible,” Michel said.

“We’ll have to base ourselves on the actual situation, what science tells us. But I’d also like to say that after the pandemic that we’ve experienced, I think that we are ready if ever something else comes up.”

Strauss noted every medical manoeuvre “can also cost lives,” as was the case with MacDougal and many others.

Michel said it’s “always regrettable” when people suffer negative impacts from vaccines, but that negative experiences can also be associated with other drugs. However, other drugs have not been mandated under the threat of losing one’s job or not receiving a post-secondary education, as was the case with COVID shots.

When asked whether OXARO was still running the program despite an audit into the firm’s misappropriation of funds, Hamzawi confirmed the organization was still processing claims despite the allegations.

Hamzawi said the government was “looking forward” to the audit being concluded “as soon as possible,” but would not say how long it would take.

“I do not want to set a firm timeline for the auditors. I’d like to make sure that they do. I do want to make sure that the proper due diligence is done, so that we have the best possible advice,” she said.

According to publicly available data on the program, the VISP has received at least 3,317 claims, but only 234 have been approved. Of those, only 1,227 have been assessed, leaving 2,090 in limbo. OXARO, which manages the claims, states on its website that it has processed more than 1,500 claims.

Strauss questioned Hamzawi about the timeline for reviewing claims. Hamzawi said claims managed by OXARO are expected to take 18 to 24 months to process.

“There are reports they were watching Netflix at the office or playing ping pong. They were drinking. It sounds to me like these guys are swindlers, and so I was really dismayed to hear that they are still processing these claims from the patients who have waited years,” Strauss said. “Why do you not terminate the contract right now?”

Hamzawi said the government is waiting for the conclusion of the audit to be informed of the appropriate actions the Liberals could take.