Recent Blog Posts

For most VCF claimants, non-economic losses represent the bulk of their recovery. While out of pocket costs for medical treatment — as well as lost wages from total or partial disability — can be significant, intangible losses like pain, disfigurement and the inability to fully enjoy life’s pleasures remain a major factor. Unfortunately, proving the […]

In a 2006 New York Times article, the co-director of Mount Sinai’s World Trade Center Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program, Dr. Robin Herbert, stressed the lifelong health consequences faced by ground zero workers: ”There should no longer be any doubt about the health effects of the World Trade Center disaster . . . Our […]

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. As a result, same-sex partners who were legally married in their home state were nonetheless denied federal benefits. In 2002, Kenneth R. Feinberg, the special master of the initial September 11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), announced that gay and lesbian domestic […]

In a previous post, we outlined some of the various civil suits initiated in U.S. courts against terrorist organizations as well as other entities that allegedly provided funding and support in relation to the 9/11 attacks on New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. While many of these suits are ultimately symbolic in nature, some […]

Once you receive your Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) decision letter, you should expect to receive your first payment within 30 days. The VCF is authorized to pay 10 percent of your total loss in the first installment. The VCF will send you the remainder of your payment sometime between 2016 and 2017. Prior to receiving […]

*** UPDATE: Since the date of this blog post, the deadline for filing a claim with the Victim Compensation Fund has been extended until December 18, 2020. *** You may have several options to obtain treatment for your 9/11-related injuries or compensation for the death of your loved one under three primary benefits programs: Victim […]