Victim Compensation Fund

A year ago today, I was honored to be invited to the White House, along with my partner Lee London and Ret. FDNY Deputy Chief Richie Alles, to witness the historic signing of the law which fully funded and permanently extended the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. In addition to the legislators who sponsored the bill, […]

A year ago today, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the Permanent Authorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Act. Over a dozen attorneys and staff from our firm, all who had lobbied for months for the passage of this legislation, were present in the Senate chambers to witness this historic vote. It really took a […]

Many 9/11 responders and survivors went through major life changes after the attacks, and those changes may have include getting married or experiencing other life events that resulted in a legal name change. The VCF will accept claims under your new name, but requires some proof of the change. If your name is now different […]

No, absolutely not. The VCF does not premise their award amounts solely on financial losses. Anybody with a physical health certification from the WTC Health Program and/or medical proof that they suffer from a condition the federal government has linked to 9/11 can qualify for an award for “pain and suffering”, also known as “non-economic […]

For the most part, no, your VCF award is not taxed and other income is not deducted from your award. VCF payouts are meant to compensate you for pain, suffering, and the expenses you’ve already laid out for your treatment, and are therefore not considered “income.” There is, however, one circumstance in which this issue […]

In most cases, the families of individuals who are incapacitated or deceased as a result of a VCF-eligible condition are able to file a claim on the victim’s behalf. Regardless of their family relationship to the victim, however, people filing a claim on behalf of a deceased victim must prove that they have the legal […]