News

It has been a true honor to serve as interim Special Master for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”).  This is an important mission and an incredible team that works hard every day to serve those who are suffering illnesses stemming from the terrorist attacks perpetrated over 20 years ago.  It has been my goal to ensure continuity during the search and hiring of a permanent Special Master so that the good work of this team continued without delay, and I hope I have met that goal. 

Statistics as of February 28, 2023

The VCF completed its 11th year of operation in 2022, a year that brought with it measurable progress, continued challenges, and notable transitions – the most significant of which was the departure of Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya in April 2022, after nearly six years of dedicated and extraordinary service at the VCF, and 27 years with the Department of Justice. Rupa’s far-reaching contributions will continue to benefit the 9/11 community for years to come, and she has my deepest gratitude for her service to this community.

The VCF released its eleventh Annual Report, which details new initiatives underway to sustain the VCF as a permanent program through 2090. 2022 brought with it measurable progress, continued challenges, and notable transitions, the most significant being the departure of Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya in April 2022. Despite this, the VCF continued to see another successful year in service to the 9/11 community, and the VCF ended 2022 having awarded a cumulative total of nearly $10.9 billion to over 49,000 individuals.

Statistics as of January 31, 2023

VCF Program Statistics as of July 31, 2020.

Dear Friends:  I wanted to reach out directly and clarify some confusion that has arisen in recent days about September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”) deadlines.   

There are two deadlines in the VCF’s claim filing process:  a Claim Filing Deadline and a Registration Deadline.  It is important to distinguish between the two and be aware of which applies to your individual circumstances.   

This has been a year of many challenges, and significant changes for the VCF, greatest among them the July passage of the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act (“VCF Permanent Authorization Act”), which secured the VCF’s funding for claims and amendments filed through 2090 (see page 5).  This year also saw the departure of Deputy Special Master Jordy Feldman, who left the VCF after more than 10 years of superb and dedicated service.

Effective November 3, 2016, Deborah Greenspan concluded her service as Deputy Special Master. Debby was instrumental to the success of the VCF from the time the initial program was enacted in 2001, through the reopening in 2011 and the recent reauthorization in 2015. Over the years, Debby brought her tremendous expertise and commitment to the victims of 9/11 to ensure a claims process that is transparent, equitable, and carefully considers the individual circumstances of each and every claim.

Dear Friends,

As we approach the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the work that the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”) has accomplished since its reopening in 2011, and to update you on our plans regarding the work that remains to do.

Dear Friends,

It has been exactly one month since I officially joined the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF”). In that time, I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in the workings of the VCF and begin developing plans for the future so that we can meet the goal of processing claims in a thoughtful way, but without unnecessary delay. I am pleased to report that we are well on our way to meeting the immediate goals that I set when I joined the program last month.