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New Interactive Presence Guide

Confused about what documents you need to send the VCF to prove presence? Unsure how many documents you should send? Use our new Interactive Presence Guide for answers in minutes.

Message from Special Master Allison Turkel on the 23rd Anniversary of September 11th

2023 Annual Report

The VCF released its twelfth Annual Report, which focuses on the significant changes, challenges, and achievements of 2023. The Fund hit new milestones, awarding $12.8 billion to over 56,600 claimants since re-opening in October 2011. In addition, in 2023, the VCF decided more claims and issued more award dollars than in any previous year.

Welcome to the VCF

Serving the 9/11 Community for Decades to Come

Who We Are

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) is a federally funded program that was established to compensate for physical harm or death caused by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, or the debris removal efforts in the immediate aftermath. The VCF was established to provide a no-fault alternative to lawsuits and is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Special Master, Allison Turkel. 

What We Do

The VCF provides compensation to individuals (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who were present at one of the three crash sites during the following timeframes, and who have since been diagnosed with a 9/11-related physical illness:

  • The World Trade Center or the surrounding New York City (NYC) Exposure Zone between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002;
  • The Pentagon site between September 11, 2001, and November 19, 2001; or
  • The Shanksville, Pennsylvania site between September 11, 2001, and October 3, 2001.

How Do I Get Started?

If you, or someone you know, might be eligible, you should register with the VCF. 

Registration preserves your right to file a claim in the future and waives no legal rights. You do not have to be sick to register.  Visit our Getting Started page for links and instructions on registration and more.

Who Should Register?

  • Residents
  • Students
  • Visitors
  • Volunteers
  • First Responders
  • Office/Business workers
  • Those who participated in the rescue, recovery, and clean up, or handled debris from the crash sites

Policies and Procedures

This resource includes information on eligibility criteria, the methodology used to calculate economic and non-economic loss, payment procedures, appeals and hearings, claims for deceased individuals, and information for claimants who are represented by an attorney for their claim.

Listing of Claimants and Deceased Individuals

As directed by the regulations, the listing of claimants and deceased individuals includes the names of those who have either filed a claim for a deceased individual or amended a personal injury claim to notify the VCF that the victim is deceased. The listing includes the claimant's name along with the deceased individual's name.

Notice:

The Fund will closely monitor any fraudulent activity including the submission of fraudulent claims and unauthorized use of www.vcf.gov. The Fund will report fraudulent conduct to federal law enforcement agencies and violators may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative penalties. If you wish to report information concerning suspected fraud concerning The Fund, please contact the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, at the following address:
 DOJOIG.FraudComplaints@usdoj.gov

The security of all personally identifiable information is of paramount importance to everyone within the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. We implement various measures to protect the security and confidentiality of personally identifiable information. Such measures include access controls designed to limit access to personally identifiable information to the extent necessary to accomplish our mission. We also employ various security technologies to protect personally identifiable information stored on our systems. We test our security measures periodically to ensure that they remain operational.