Cecily Zamora
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, was created by an Act of Congress in the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (49 USC 40101) shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The fund was established to compensate victims of the attacks and their families, with the agreement that they would not file lawsuits against the airline corporations involved. The fund provides tax-free compensation for wage loss, pain and suffering, and medical treatments for several respiratory diseases and all forms of cancer. The VCF was reactivated in 2011 with an expanded pool of eligible claimants, and the claim filing deadline has since been extended to October 1, 2090, to ensure that all eligible claims can be paid.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) |
| Date Created | September 22, 2001 |
| Administered By | U.S. Department of Justice and the Special Master |
| Purpose | To compensate victims of the September 11 attacks and their families |
| Quid Pro Quo | Agreement by claimants not to file lawsuits against the government or airlines involved |
| Coverage | Medical treatments for respiratory diseases, cancer, wage loss, pain and suffering, and financial losses |
| Eligibility | Individuals present at the crash sites or involved in debris removal during specified timeframes who have been diagnosed with 9/11-related illnesses |
| Special Master | Kenneth Feinberg (original VCF), Allison Lee Turkel (appointed in 2023) |
| Reauthorization | James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act signed into law in 2015, extended until 2020 |
| Permanent Authorization | The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act signed into law in 2019, extended until 2090 |
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What You'll Learn
The fund was created by an Act of Congress
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, was created by an Act of Congress in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001. The fund was established to compensate victims of the attacks and their families, with the agreement that they would not file lawsuits against the airline corporations involved, such as American Airlines and United Airlines. The fund was also intended to provide financial relief to those most affected by the attacks, including those who suffered physical harm or lost loved ones.
The VCF was created by Public Law No. 107-42, as amended by Public Law No. 107-71, and is a federally funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice. The fund was first activated on September 22, 2001, and it operated until 2004, distributing over $7 billion to 97% of the families of victims. The original VCF, also known as VCF I, was closed in 2003 or 2004, but it was reactivated in 2011 by the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, also known as the Zadroga Act. This Act expanded the pool of eligible claimants and appropriated additional funds for payments.
The creation of the VCF was a unique and unprecedented response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It was designed to provide a no-fault alternative to lawsuits and to streamline the process of compensating victims and their families. The fund was established with the understanding that traditional legal processes would be inadequate to address the scale and complexity of the attacks and their aftermath. The VCF was also intended to provide a uniform approach to compensation, ensuring that all victims and their families were treated fairly and equitably.
Kenneth Feinberg, appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft, was responsible for making difficult decisions regarding the compensation amounts for each family. He considered the estimated loss of future earnings for each victim, a key criterion legislated by Congress. Families who accepted the offer could not appeal, but those who were unhappy with the initial offer could present their case in a non-adversarial, informal hearing. Feinberg's role was crucial in ensuring that the VCF achieved its goal of providing timely and fair compensation to those affected by the tragedy.
The VCF has undergone several reauthorizations and extensions since its creation, ensuring that it remains accessible to those in need. In 2015, the James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act extended the program for an additional five years and appropriated additional funds. In July 2019, President Trump signed the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, further extending the deadline for claims to October 1, 2090, and ensuring that all eligible claims could be paid. These extensions and reauthorizations reflect the ongoing commitment to supporting those impacted by the September 11 attacks.
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It was established to compensate victims and their families
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, was created by an Act of Congress in the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (49 USC 40101) shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The fund was established to compensate victims of the attacks and their families. The VCF was created to provide financial relief to those most affected by the terror attacks, including those who lost loved ones or were injured in the attacks. The fund also covered medical treatments for several respiratory diseases, including asthma and sleep apnea, as well as for all forms of cancer.
The VCF is a federally funded program that provides compensation for physical harm or death caused by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, or the debris removal efforts in the immediate aftermath. The fund was established to provide a no-fault alternative to lawsuits, with claimants agreeing not to file lawsuits against the government or the airline corporations involved, such as American Airlines and United Airlines. The VCF is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and a Special Master, currently Allison Turkel, who was appointed in 2023. The previous Special Master was Kenneth Feinberg, who served from 2001 to 2004.
Kenneth Feinberg was responsible for deciding on the compensation amounts for each family of a victim. He had to estimate how much each victim would have earned in a lifetime, and families could appeal if they were unhappy with the initial offer. The VCF functions similarly to the Social Security Administration, with a portion of the annual U.S. federal budget set aside for paying out victims, although the process is heavily regulated. The fund also closely monitors any fraudulent activity, including the submission of fraudulent claims, and reports it to federal law enforcement agencies.
The VCF has undergone several reauthorizations and extensions since its creation. The original VCF ("VCF I") operated from 2001 to 2004 and distributed over $7 billion. In 2010, due to the increasing number of responders and survivors being diagnosed with severe illnesses, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in early 2011. This act reactivated the VCF ("VCF II"), expanded the pool of eligible claimants, and appropriated additional funds for payments. The VCF was further extended in 2015 with the James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act, and in 2019, President Trump signed the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, which extended the claim filing deadline to October 1, 2090, and appropriated funds to pay all eligible claims.
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Victims agreed not to file lawsuits against airlines
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was established by an Act of Congress in the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (49 USC 40101). The fund was created to compensate victims of the attacks and their families. The fund was established to provide an alternative to lawsuits, and victims who accepted compensation from the fund agreed not to file lawsuits against the airlines involved, such as American Airlines and United Airlines.
The VCF was administered by Kenneth Feinberg, who was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to be the special master of the fund. Feinberg was responsible for estimating how much each victim would have earned in a full lifetime and deciding on the compensation amount for each family. If a family accepted the offer, they could not appeal, but they could choose to appeal in a non-adversarial, informal hearing if they were unhappy with the offer.
The acceptance papers for the settlements included a non-negotiable clause stating that the victims' families could never file suit against the airlines for any lack of security or other unsafe procedures. This was to discourage lawsuits and expedite the claim process for the victims. However, some 9/11 families sued the Saudi Arabian government in 2016, accusing them of wrongful death and seeking additional restitution.
The VCF was separate from the similarly named September 11th Fund and the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company. The fund closed in 2003, but was reopened and fully funded by the "Never Forget the Heroes, James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act" in July 2019. This extended the claim filing deadline to October 1, 2090, allowing people who became ill after the fund's initial closure to seek compensation.
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The fund was reactivated in 2011
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, was first established by an Act of Congress in 2001, shortly after the attacks. The fund was reactivated in 2011, when President Obama signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (Zadroga Act) into law. Title II of the Zadroga Act was responsible for the reactivation of the VCF, and it opened in October 2011. The fund was authorised to operate for five years, ending in October 2016.
The reactivated fund, VCF II, expanded the pool of eligible claimants and appropriated $2.775 billion for additional payments. The VCF provides compensation to individuals who were victims of the attacks or their families, with the agreement that they would not file lawsuits against the airline corporations involved. The fund provides compensation to individuals who were present at one of the three crash sites during specific timeframes and have since been diagnosed with a 9/11-related physical illness. The three crash sites are: the World Trade Center and the surrounding New York City Exposure Zone, the Pentagon site, and the Shanksville, Pennsylvania site.
In 2015, President Obama signed into law a bill that reauthorised the Zadroga Act, extending the VCF for another five years and allowing claims to be submitted until December 18, 2020. This law also included changes to the fund's policies and procedures for evaluating claims and calculating losses.
In 2019, President Trump signed the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorisation of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act into law, further extending the deadline for claims to October 1, 2090.
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The fund was extended in 2019
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, was established by an Act of Congress shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The fund was created to compensate victims of the attacks and their families, with the agreement that they would not file lawsuits against the airline corporations involved, such as American Airlines and United Airlines. The VCF is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and a Special Master, currently Allison Lee Turkel, who was appointed in 2023.
The fund provides compensation for physical harm or death caused by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or the debris removal efforts that followed. It covers medical treatments for respiratory diseases, including asthma and sleep apnea, as well as all forms of cancer. The VCF functions similarly to the Social Security Administration, with a portion of the annual U.S. federal budget set aside for paying out victims.
On July 29, 2019, the fund was extended when President Trump signed H.R. 1327, The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, into law. This legislation extended the deadline for filing claims from December 18, 2020, to October 1, 2090, and authorized the appropriation of funds to pay all eligible claims. The extension of the VCF ensures that those affected by the September 11th attacks continue to receive the support and compensation they need.
The process of claiming compensation involves claimants proving their presence at one of the three crash sites during specified timeframes. The VCF closely monitors fraudulent activity and has measures in place to protect the security and confidentiality of personally identifiable information. The fund has awarded $14.9 billion to over 65,600 claimants since its reopening in October 2011.
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Frequently asked questions
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, is a US government fund created to compensate victims of the September 11 attacks and their families.
The fund was created by an Act of Congress, the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (49 USC 40101), shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The fund was established to provide financial relief to those affected by the attacks, including compensation for wage loss, pain and suffering, and medical treatments for respiratory diseases and cancer.
Individuals or personal representatives of deceased individuals who were present at one of the three crash sites (the World Trade Center, the surrounding New York City Exposure Zone, or the Pentagon site) during specified timeframes and who have been diagnosed with a 9/11-related physical illness are eligible for compensation.
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is administered by the US Department of Justice and a Special Master, currently Allison Turkel. The fund operates similarly to the Social Security Administration, with a portion of the annual federal budget set aside for paying out victims.
