FIRST AWARDS ANNOUNCED IN 9/11 VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND

WASHINGTON, DC – Nine of the first 25 claimants who have recently received letters of proposed payments from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund have accepted the awards, Fund Special Master Kenneth Feinberg announced today. Feinberg said the average amount of the first 25 awards issued is $1,363,629 after offsets, with awards ranging from $300,000 to $3 million. Some of the payments have already been made.

The Special Master's office sent out the first letters in July. Besides the claimants who accepted the proposed awards, four recipients of the letters have requested a formal administrative hearing with the Special Master. The remaining 12 families have not yet responded to the formal offers of compensation.

The number of claims filed with the Fund as of today is 662, out of approximately 3,300 killed and injured as a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Besides the full compensation, $3,550,000 has been paid out for advanced benefit claims - $50,000 per each of 68 individuals who died as a result of the September 11th attacks, for a total of $3,400,000, as well as $25,000 to each of six individuals who claimed serious injury, for a total of $150,000.

"It is our hope that these initial payments will result in increased filings by eligible victims and family members," said Feinberg.

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was passed by Congress on September 22 of last year to provide financial compensation to the families of victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. In November, Attorney General Ashcroft named Feinberg, a Washington, D.C. attorney specializing in mediation, arbitration and negotiation, to be the Special Master of the Fund.

Additional information on the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund can be found at www.usdoj.gov/victimcompensation.

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