On July 29, 2019, the President signed into law H.R. 1327, The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. As a result, the VCF has now been extended through October 1, 2090.
The Special Master has provided some direction as to how the VCF will process claims that were subject to reduction:
The VCF will issue updated Loss Calculation letters indicating the full, un-reduced amount of the award. The VCF will immediately begin to process the payment on those claims.
On claims where an appeal was filed, the VCF will require that we re-file our appeal after the un-reduced Loss Calculation letter is issued.
Payments on reduced are expected to begin at the start of the next fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2019.
All future Loss Calculation letters will contain un-reduced awards.
While we are all fortunate and grateful that the VCF has been permanently extended, we do believe that certain changes that were announced at the same time as the reduction swill continue to be in effect. This primarily concerns claims for non-cancer conditions, as well as for certain skin cancers. We will provide updated information as it becomes available to us.
As ever, if you have any questions or concerns about your claim, or if you would like to file a new claim or amendment, please do not hesitate to contact our office. (212) 766-5800.