Author Archives: Michael Barasch
9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Statistics
As part of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund program, Sheila Bimbaum, the special master appointed to administer the fund, releases an annual report of fund activities and statistics. The most recent report was released in November 2013. It provided claims and processing statistics, a breakdown of VCF staffing and procedures and a description of […]
9/11-Related Lawsuits Against Terrorists
Filing a 9/11-related lawsuit against a terrorist organization may seem like a vain effort. But such litigation may in fact be an important part of our national healing process. Since those tragic events more than 12 years ago, several civil lawsuits have been initiated against terrorist organizations as well as banks suspected of providing funding […]
Beware of 9/11 Early Payment Programs
As many claimants continue to await payments from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, some ailing first responders and other victims are becoming increasingly desperate because they need the payments for their medical bills and living expenses. Some companies have responded to this need by offering to float advance payment of VCF benefits to victims […]
The VCF Appeals Process
To improve the claims process, the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund has increased its staff to 75, from 31 a year earlier. The biggest increases are in the number of document intake workers (now 25, up from nine a year earlier) and claim review team members (now 23, up from nine a year earlier), according […]
How Other Benefits Can Offset VCF Payments
The funds that Congress set aside for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund are finite, and the number of claimants increases every day. To ensure fairness and stretch the funds as far as possible, the VCF has adopted the policy that certain collateral benefits should offset the amount of benefits a claimant receives from the […]
Major 9/11 Negligence Lawsuits
The events of 9/11 resulted in a flurry of legal activity by victims and their families. In addition to the lawsuits against the organizations and financiers connected to the attacks, there have also been numerous personal injury lawsuits based on the premise that the negligence of certain parties either allowed the attacks to occur or […]
The Geographic Presence Requirement of the Zadroga Act
Geographic presence is one of the two main qualifications for participation in both the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and the World Trade Center Health Program. Basically, the requirement is that a claimant must have actually been present at an attack site during the attack itself or the subsequent cleanup effort. However, the James Zadroga […]
Where Is the 9/11 “Crash Site” Defined in the Zadroga Act That Affects Victim Compensation?
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, signed by President Obama in January 2011, sets aside $4.2 billion for the World Trade Center Health Program to test and treat workers, volunteers and other survivors of the attacks on September 11, 2001. It is named for one of the first New York City […]
How Extensive Was the WTC Dust Cloud — And Who Is Eligible for 9/11 Compensation?
Just how far did the toxic dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11 travel? Satellite images show the dust cloud trailing from Lower Manhattan across Brooklyn and into the Long Island Sound, which provides some idea of the pervasiveness of the asbestos fibers, crushed cement, lead, copper, fiberglass and other dangerous […]
