The Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) is a government-sponsored financial program that supports individuals who lost loved ones or sustained physical injuries and the like from the ensuing 9/11 attacks.
You can file a VCF claim if you’re a 9/11 survivor that needs to handle lost wages, healthcare expenses, and other related costs. Nonetheless, you must provide the necessary documents and other pieces of supporting evidence to prove your eligibility. The whole thing doesn’t just end there though.
Successfully claiming for a VCF claim is a very long and tiresome process. Luckily, here are five steps you can check out for guidance:
- Determine Eligibility
During the 9/11 attack, many people were affected directly and indirectly. Some people sustained physical injuries, while other suffered with illnesses from chemical exposure. Toxic chemicals were emitted from the World Trade Center collisions, exposing people nearby. Some of them are still suffering from the unforeseen aftermath of the crisis.
If you want to file a VCF claim, you must determine whether or not you’re eligible and provide 9/11 survivor proof of presence. People who qualify for this compensation include the following:
- Individuals present at the Pentagon, Word Trade Center, or Pennsylvania during the attack;
- People that lived, worked, or attended school in the disaster area between 11th September 2001 and 30th May 2002;
- Rescue, recovery, and cleanup individuals who cared for the survivors after the attack; and so on.
You’re eligible to file for the claim as a personal representative of a loved one who died from the attack or the aftermath as well.
- Understand The Types Of Losses
You can seek VCF compensation for economic and non-economic losses related to the crisis.
File an economic VCF claim if the losses are financially based. It could be for medical expenses, funeral expenditures, lost wages, and loss of employer-provided benefits.
Non-economic losses, on the other hand, don’t have an impact to your financial capabilities. You file the claim for pain and suffering due to the attack. For instance, you could file for a non-economic VCF claim if you lost a loved one you depended on.
Compensation for these claims is calculated differently. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand them to get maximum compensation. For instance, when calculating economic losses, such as lost wages, the VCF considers the number of days you missed, team member benefits, taxes, and work-life expectancy. This complicates the claims process, and processing payments may take longer than expected.
To not further induce delays in the VCF claims process, provide correct and accurate records for maximum compensation.
- Register With The VCF
Once you’ve determined your eligibility and the type of loss to claim, you can register with the VCF. There’s a registration and claim filing timeframe you must follow. Observe and understand the statute of limitations to make the most of your claim
- File Your Claim
The next step is to file the VCF claim. The 9/11 crisis was an unfortunate event that still impact individuals decades later. People are getting sick and more fearful for their health by the day. Happily, you and other individuals can file a VCF claim for compensation. But you must provide the necessary documents and information to prove your eligibility.
Some of the documents you must prepare and submit include the following:
- Personal Identification: You must provide a valid identification card, driver’s license, or passport.
- Medical Records: You’ll also need medical records when filing VCF to show the attack has impacted on your health. Such documents include prescriptions, treatment records, and other diagnostic reports.
- Death Certificate: If your loved one is deceased, you’ll get their official death certificate to file for a VCF claim.
- Proof Of Relationship: You must prove you’re related to the deceased too. Therefore, ensure you have birth certificates, adoption records, or marriage certificates handy.
- Witness Statements: It’d help to have statements and affidavits from witnesses proving your presence in the designated disaster area.
- Employment Records: These involve documents such as pay stubs, tax returns, and other work-related documents when filing for lost wages.
These are some of the documents you may need to file a claim. More documents may be required depending on the type of VCF claim. Do your homework to know what you need to file the claim.
- Seek Legal Assistance
You don’t need a lawyer to file a VCF claim. Nonetheless, you could use their expert help as they have extensive experience dealing with such cases. The lawyer will help gather evidence and confirm eligibility, ensuring you get what’s due.
Additionally, the attorney will offer advice tailored to your condition and ensure you exploit all your legal options. Thus, ensure you hire a legal expert with experience handling 9/11 claims cases to boost your chances of success.
Conclusion
Filing a VCF claim is a winding process. The process includes you proving your presence in the disaster area during or after the attack and the like. Keep in mind that VCF claims can be filed by survivors, rescuers, recovery teams, and the immediate family that lost a loved one in the 9/11 attacks. To help you succeed in your claims filing, look into the points mentioned above and work with an experienced VCF attorney.