The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund: New Changes and the Future of the Fund

2019 has been a historic and transformational year for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. On July 29, 2019, President Trump signed into law the new "Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act". The new law adds $10.2 billion to the Fund and permanently funds it until the year 2090.

Prior to passage of the new law, in February 2019, the Fund's Special Master, Rupa Bhattacharyya, determined that there was "insufficient funding" remaining in the Fund to pay all current and projected claims at the same levels under current Fund policies and procedures. As a result, the Special Master announced cuts of between 50% and 70% for pending and future claims. The Special Master publicly acknowledged that she was "painfully aware of the inequity of the situation". 9/11 victims soon began receiving awards with a full 50% reduction from similar awards made to other claimants just a few months earlier. 

As a result, advocates for the 9/11 community, including former Daily Show host Jon Stewart, joined in a bipartisan effort with members of Congress to pass the new "Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act" with record speed.

Building on his prior 9/11 VCF Lawline seminars from 2011, 2015, and 2017, Troy Rosasco, partner at Turley Hansen & Rosasco, LLP, a long-time 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund Attorney and Adjunct Professor at St. John's University School of Law, explains the brand new "Never Forget the Heroes Act" and the future of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine the changes in the new 9/11 "Never Forget the Heroes Act" and how these new changes impact current and future claims
2. Review "eligibility", 9/11 "covered conditions", and the health benefits of the World Trade Center Health Program
3. Identify the filing deadlines for 9/11 Victim Compensation claims
4. Discuss the increasing number of 9/11 cancer claims and how the Fund handles these claims