N001890
Dear Mr. Feinberg:
The following comments are in response to the interim guidelines established for the
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.
On September 11, 2001, my 21 year-old son, was brutally murdered at
the World Trade Center. As a result, my life and the lives of my husband and other
children will never be the same. In our society, it is the right of individuals to be
compensated for pain inflicted upon them by culpable parties. In its effort to protect the
airline industry, Congress essentially took away that right from me by limiting the
amount of any award to insurance coverage. In return, Congress enacted legislation to
compensate me for 's murder. The interim guidelines, however, do not permit
appropriate compensation.
While I agree that all families deserve the same amount of compensation for pain and
suffering the amount recommended is absolutely inappropriate and hurtful. The amount
of $250,000 minimizes the pain and suffering my son, and each of the other murdered
victims, endured. I urge you to increase the amount for pain and suffering to $2,000,000
per claim. While no amount will fully compensate us for 's death, a significant
award will acknowledge our degree of grief and loss.
Additionally, although the interim guidelines provide for compensation to victims'
children, there is no mention of compensation to siblings. My son lived at home with his
parents and two sisters. My daughters are devastated. They are suffering as though they
have lost a parent. I urge you to acknowledge their pain by allowing additional
compensation for siblings who lived in the same household with single victims.
Finally, I urge you to make the final guidelines clear and unambiguous. Since the act of
applying to the fund includes waiving one's right to pursue litigation, one must know
absolutely the amount of compensation to expect in return. The interim guidelines appear
to indicate the claimant's award may be determined by the claimant's financial need. If
this is the case, it is another travesty. My level of financial security should have
absolutely no bearing on compensation for my son's murder.
Thank you for providing this opportunity to comment on the interim guidelines. Please
consider the above recommendations in order to make this the compassionate, healing
measure Congress intended.
Respectfully yours,
Individual Comment