I am proud to announce that the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) has made loss determinations of more than $1.3 billion. As of June 30, 2015, the VCF has approved 11,770 eligibility claims and made 5,636 loss decisions, totaling $1,310,149,991. First responders account for 91 percent of the total loss amount. Individuals with cancer diagnoses account for 18 percent of the awards. This information and additional updated program statistics are available here.
In addition to our program statistics, the VCF is releasing a state-by-state breakdown of claims for the first time. While it is not surprising to learn that most VCF claimants live in New York and New Jersey, the next most represented states are Florida, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, and every state has a registered claimant. This geographic diversity reminds us that September 11th affected us as a nation, and volunteers and responders came from across America to offer assistance and support to those in need.
To provide the service these claimants have earned, the VCF continues to streamline our efforts, improving processing times and communications. An important part of success is our partnership and cooperation with claimants, their attorneys and advocates, and the third parties who hold information necessary to process a claim. We are appreciative of the ongoing efforts of these groups to help us resolve claims quickly and accurately.
While we continue to improve our processing efforts, we are also turning our attention towards the end of the program. I encourage any individual who has delayed filing a claim to file now. The sooner you file your claim, the sooner you will receive your first payment. The last day anyone may submit any information to the VCF is October 3, 2016. Please do not wait until the end of the program to submit your claim.
As always, if you have questions about the VCF claims process, I encourage you to call our toll-free Helpline at 1-855-885-1555. For the hearing impaired, please call 1-855-885-1558 (TDD). If you are calling from outside the United States, please call 1-202-514-1100.
