2025 marked the completion of the VCF’s 14th year of operations. We continue to serve the 9/11 community with a laser focus on remaining faithful to our statute, fair to our claimants, and defensible to the taxpayers. More than two decades later, the VCF has served tens of thousands of victims and their families, and we continue to receive around 900 new claims each month – a clear indication of the ongoing importance of our mission. The number of people who have died of 9/11-related health conditions has far surpassed the number of people who died on the day of the attacks.
I am proud to report that in 2025, the VCF notified claimants of over 9,800 award determinations, with more than $1.8 billion awarded. As of December 31, 2025, the VCF has received over 105,000 claims, awarding over $16.8 billion to over 71,000 claimants since reopening in 2011. This level of service is made possible by the tireless dedication of the entire VCF team. On page 22, you will find total year-end statistics that further illustrate our impact and reach.
As we get farther from the events of September 11, 2001, it becomes increasingly challenging for claimants to find documents needed to prove their presence at an eligible location and, for many, to clearly remember the details that help the VCF establish their presence. As you will read on page 10, our team has been working to ease this burden of proof on claimants through new information sharing agreements with various entities. Our Interactive Presence Guide (page 17), which walks claimants step-by-step through a process to identify what type of documentation they need to submit with their claim or who they can contact for documentation, has been a valuable resource for them. As Special Master, I am constantly looking for creative solutions and strategies such as these to ensure that processes and policies are equitable, streamlined, and faithful to our statute and claimants. This year we updated the policy for claimants who have post-treatment complications from their eligible prostate cancer, increased the standard amount used to calculate future residual earnings capacity when calculating lost earnings, and more. Find a comprehensive list of policy updates on page 6.
Expanding outreach efforts remains a vital priority. On page 10, we outline the tremendous progress made in forging relationships with strategic partners who are working to amplify our message to their audiences across the country. As we work to spread the word, our modernized new logo and visual identity (page 8) will activate new interest and attention to our existence and the availability of compensation for eligible claimants for years to come. As I wrote in my message in last year’s annual report, we are working to build an informal network of ambassadors who can spread the word about the VCF. We ask everyone to think about the people they may know who might have been present in the New York City Exposure Zone, the Pentagon, or in Shanksville, PA, or worked at those sites during the eligible time periods. We want to build this vast people network, and everyone can be a partner.
I am happy to report that we are making great strides toward becoming a fully trauma-informed organization. As you will read on page 20, we continue to work closely with the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center in training our staff to better understand those for whom this process may be traumatic and deeply emotional. In 2025, I encouraged the creation of the VCF’s Trauma-Informed Organizational Readiness (TIOR) working group (page 20) to develop processes and policies that reflect our deep commitment to ensuring that every interaction with the VCF reflects empathy and understanding, and that the VCF staff is fully supported.
As we prepare for the 25th Anniversary of that fateful day, our team is developing a strategic plan of purposeful commemorations throughout 2026. We look forward to sharing those plans in the coming months. The courage and unwavering resolve of the 9/11 community inspires us to continue our mission, ensuring that everyone who is eligible receives the compensation to which they are entitled. It is an honor to lead the VCF team in this work, and to serve this incredible community. We encourage you to share this report, and please continue to help us spread this critical information to potential claimants.
