W000492
Thursday, November 22, 2001 8:55 AM
Family of AA11 comments
Attorney General Ashcroft, and other distinguished DOJ members,
To the Attorney General,
Sir, I am very grateful for the kindness and compassion which you expressed to me at our recent meeting at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at the conclusion of the Red Mass in Boston. I have related to my family, and many others your personal, warm and moving expression of support and condolence which is very helpful to all of us in dealing with this tragic event.
To the other Justice Department officials involved,
Any and all kindnesses and compassion which you deem to be appropriate, while performing the responsibilities you have to interpret and fulfill the purposes and spirit of the Victims Compensation Fund, would be appreciated by all of us.
Attachment 1:
November 20, 2001
Kenneth L. Zwick
Director, Office of Management Programs
Civil Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Main Building, Room 3140
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530
Sent via e-mail victimcomp.comments@usdoj.gov and fax: 301-519-5956
Re: comments on Topic #3 and Topic #6 of Victim Compensation Fund
Dear Mr. Zwick:
We are the widower and stepfather of September 11th terrorist attack victim ,
a 41-year-old wife and mother of two young daughters. was a passenger on American Airlines , en route to Los Angeles on a business trip along with six coworkers. We are writing today to
comment on the rules and regulations being drafted for the U.S. Victim Compensation Fund.
First let us say that we are grateful to Congress for creating the Fund, and to all of the people at the
U.S. Justice Department for their hard work in drafting the Fund's regulations. The Fund's existence is a
great comfort to us and our family.
Nothing could ever replace . children have lost the loving, caring relationship and the guidance that she was able to provide her 3 1/2 and 7 year-old daughters. mother wakes up each morning not being able to believe that she can no longer talk to her beautiful baby.
was a significant contributor to the income of the household. Though no amount of money could make up for what has happened, hopefully the Fund will be able to provide children and family with the long-term financial security they lost when was killed.
We believe there are two things that could help ensure the Fund gives our family their full security: individual consideration of claims and a prohibition on deducting charitable contributions from claim awards.
Individual Consideration of Claims:
was an individual; she was a human being and had very unique characteristics, as did all the
individuals who were lost. Each family has different economic losses related to the tragedy. It is only fair for all of these circumstances to be considered when deciding on a claim.
We understand that the people administering the Fund have a limited time to hear cases. We are told, however, that there are ways to make the hearing process streamlined, yet still individualized. We ask that you make every effort to do so.
Page 2
Comments of and
Families deserve to have their individual circumstances heard, and to have their losses fully and individually compensated, as Congress has promised. , and of course, each of the victims, had special and different relationships with their spouse, children, parents, friends and communities, and to chart or otherwise depersonalize these relationships would be an affront. Please do not reduce the realities of families' terrible losses to a "grid" or "matrix" system that does not take the merits of every case, and the devastating losses of every family, into account.
Charitable Gifts Should Not Be Subtracted:
Please do not allow charitable gifts to be subtracted from Fund awards. People gave those charitable gifts in order to help our family and others in an emergency situation. There is no reason our family, or any other victim's family, should be penalized for the American public's generosity. It is hard to believe that any donor intended that their gifts be used to subsidize the Fund.
The compensation the Fund provides is supposed to ensure the future of children and the families of others who have suffered irreparable losses. Reducing that compensation will have a direct affect on children's lives and the lives of thousands of other children. There is no reason that these children should be shortchanged any more than they have been already.
In addition, this is not money our family would have received under the Fund anyway. Charitable gifts have covered short-term expenses that the Fund was not designed to cover like the costs associated with family members' time lost at work due to the tragedy.
One last note: We hope that arrangements will be made for hearings to be held in many cities throughout the U.S. so that victims are not burdened with the costs of travel.
We thank you for taking the time to consider our thoughts on these matters. The job you are doing is extremely important for victims, their families, and our nation.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Neeham, MA
Jamaica Plain, MA