9/11 Victim Fund Is Almost Depleted. Here’s What That Means for Survivors.

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which provides ongoing financial support for those who fell ill due to the 2001 terrorist attacks, is running out of money, officials said on Friday. As of now, the fund has paid out $5 billion in benefits out of its $7.3 billion budget.

According to the Associated Press, around 40,000 people have applied for financial assistance, with 19,000 of those claims still pending. The fund’s special master Rupa Bhattacharyya said they’re having to cut the amount a claimant receives to make sure there’s at least some assistance for every one who should be supported. . .

Because fund organizers knew they’re on the verge of running out of funds, they established a new practice: the fund would pay 50 percent of qualified claims submitted by Feb. 1. Qualified claims received after Feb. 1 would be paid at 30 percent of their value. . .

Part of the reason so many claimants have come forward is because of the number of first responders who worked in soot without proper respiratory protection. Many of those who developed respiratory or digestive-system ailments did so almost immediately. Other issues, like brain cancers and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, take longer to develop.

According to Bhattacharyya, the volume of claims has increased over the past year, with more than 8,000 claims filed in the last four months. Some of those claimants are people who lived or worked near the World Trade Center but weren’t actively involved in recovery efforts. (Read more from “9/11 Victim Fund Is Almost Depleted. Here’s What That Means for Survivors.” HERE)

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