News

Dear Friends,

It has been a true honor to serve as interim Special Master for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”).  This is an important mission and an incredible team that works hard every day to serve those who are suffering illnesses stemming from the terrorist attacks perpetrated over 20 years ago.  It has been my goal to ensure continuity during the search and hiring of a permanent Special Master so that the good work of this team continued without delay, and I hope I have met that goal. 

VCF Leadership Announcement - March 10, 2023

Email - New email address for submission of Law Firm ACH Forms - March 2, 2023

Statistics as of February 28, 2023

Email - Important Updates_ “Other” option from the “Select a Law Firm” dropdown no longer available and Cancelling Incomplete Registrations - February 21, 2023

Email - New Transformation Information on VCF Website & Law Firm Meeting Notes - February 10, 2023

The VCF completed its 11th year of operation in 2022, a year that brought with it measurable progress, continued challenges, and notable transitions – the most significant of which was the departure of Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya in April 2022, after nearly six years of dedicated and extraordinary service at the VCF, and 27 years with the Department of Justice. Rupa’s far-reaching contributions will continue to benefit the 9/11 community for years to come, and she has my deepest gratitude for her service to this community.

The VCF released its eleventh Annual Report, which details new initiatives underway to sustain the VCF as a permanent program through 2090. 2022 brought with it measurable progress, continued challenges, and notable transitions, the most significant being the departure of Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya in April 2022. Despite this, the VCF continued to see another successful year in service to the 9/11 community, and the VCF ended 2022 having awarded a cumulative total of nearly $10.9 billion to over 49,000 individuals.

Email - VCF Releases Eleventh Annual Report - February 6, 2023

Email - VCF Website Updates - February 3, 2023

Statistics as of January 31, 2023

Email – Materials presented during January 25, 2023 VCF Meeting with Law Firms – January 26, 2023

Yes.  As of January 18, 2023, all Uterine Cancers, including endometrial cancers, have been added to the List of WTC-related Health Conditions, and are therefore eligible for compensation from the VCF, as long as all other eligibility requirements are met.

If your claim was previously denied because you did not have an eligible condition, and your Uterine or endometrial cancer is certified by the WTC Health Program, you may amend your claim.  The VCF will review the new information and notify you of the outcome of our review. 

Email - Cancellation of Registration-Only Claims for Victims with Multiple Claim Numbers - January 12, 2023

When a claimant who has filed a personal injury claim dies, the VCF will stop processing the claim and/or payment of that claim until a Personal Representative of the deceased claimant (“decedent”) is appointed and validated by the VCF.  This protects the decedent’s personal information and ensures details about the claim are shared only with those who are authorized to access the information. 

Unlike in a personal injury claim, where the victim is still living, the circumstances of a deceased claim filed do not change. Therefore, all losses in a deceased claim should be known to the claimant at the time the initial claim is filed. It is far more efficient for the VCF, and increases the pace at which the VCF can issue awards to all claimants, if the VCF only has to review these claims, with all losses included, one time.

Our first priority is to render decisions on claims for those claimants who have not yet received any award. At the same time, we do continue to review amendments and use the same priority order of rendering decisions on older amendments before reviewing newer ones.

Cuando el reclamante que ha presentado su reclamo de lesión personal muere, el VCF suspende el procesamiento de su reclamo /o pago hasta que el Representante Personal del reclamante fallecido (“fallecido”) es designado y validado por el VCF. Es así para proteger la información personal del fallecido y asegurar que los detalles del reclamo solo sean compartidos con quienes están autorizados en ley para accesar la información.

A diferencia de un reclamo por lesión personal, donde la victima está viva, las circunstancias del reclamo de una persona fallecida no cambian. Por tanto, todas las pérdidas de la víctima fallecida el reclamante las debe saber al momento de presentar el reclamo. Es mucho más eficiente para el VCF, porque acelera el ritmo en el cual el VCF decide indemnizaciones para todos los reclamantes, si el VCF revisa estos reclamos con todas las pérdidas solicitadas a la misma vez.