The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) announced Tuesday that the enforcement decree of the Special Act on COVID-19 Vaccination Damage Compensation will take effect on October 23.

The law mandates that those who suffered adverse health effects from vaccination during the nationwide inoculation campaign between February 26, 2021, and June 30, 2024, receive compensation.

Under the legislation, bereaved families of deceased individuals whose deaths were related to COVID-19 vaccination will be entitled to 240 months, or roughly two years, of minimum wage plus an additional 300-thousand won, or approximately 200 U.S. dollars, in funeral expenses. 

Individuals who suffered long-term, debilitating side effects will receive compensation proportional to the adverse impacts. Those who were hospitalized for illnesses tied to the vaccination will have their out-of-pocket medical expenses and 50,000 won per day of hospital care reimbursed.

Applicants whose initial compensation claims were denied may now qualify for payments, including relatives of those whose deaths occurred shortly after vaccination but have not been definitively tied to the shot.

KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said the agency will “ensure broad and fair support for citizens who cooperated with the national vaccination campaign.”