Category Archives: Victim Compensation Fund
Zadroga Act Rule Changes Seek to Reduce Burden on Claimants
When the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act went into effect last December, Congress charged the Justice Department with writing a rule to implement it. The Attorney General appointed Sheila L. Birnbaum as Special Master, and Ms. Birnbaum recently published the Interim Final Rule for the VCF. Potential claimants should be aware […]
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Begins Payments to Group B Claimants
First Responders, Local residents, office workers and students with cancer may now be able to assert claims Michel Barasch, managing partner at Barasch McGarry, commented on VCF Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya’s announcement that the Fund has begun payments on “Group B” claims. Barasch said: “I am delighted to hear that the VCF has finally begun […]
BREAKING NEWS: Victim Compensation Fund Changes the Eligibility Requirements for WTC-Related Cancers
First Responders, Local residents, office workers and students with cancer may now be able to assert claims Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice made an extremely important change to the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). As a result, many cancer victims who missed the deadline to register for compensation can now do so. Until last […]
Reauthorized Zadroga Act Changes Deadline and Eligible Conditions
When Congress passed the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act on December 18, 2015, it made certain changes to the substance of the law. When the VCF Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum published the Interim Final Rule to address those changes, the announcement highlighted the key changes. The new Zadroga Act: Extends […]
Zadroga Act Special Master Publishes Interim Final Rule
Sheila Birnbaum, special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. When Congress voted to reauthorize the Zadroga Act, it charged the U.S. Department of Justice with the task of writing regulations for its implementation and assigned statutory deadlines for completion. The Attorney General selected Sheila Birnbaum to serve as Special Master for the September […]
Message from Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya – VCF Program Updates
Michael Barasch commented on Victim Compensation Fund Special Master’s program update: When Congress re-authorized and extended the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) last December, it mandated that the VCF pay claimants whose applications were completed, before it could even consider new or amended claims. As many of you know firsthand, many claimants have still not been […]
9/11 Victim Compensation Fund: Still waiting after 15 years
Bobby Zahn has been approved for a claim from the Victim Compensation Fund. He got metastatic prostate cancer following his work at ground zero in the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) Mike Barasch, managing partner of Barasch & McGarry, attorneys for the Zadroga Family, as well as thousands of […]
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Begins Accepting New Claims
Michael Barasch, attorney for thousands of Victim Compensation Fund claimants, applauded the launch of the Fund’s new claim form. “We have been precluded from uploading new claims and documents for the past 7 months. It appears that the wait has been worth it. The new forms and online system do indeed seem “easier to navigate […]
