W000505
Friday, November 23, 2001 10:11 AM
Victims Compensation Fund
Dear Sir/Madam:
The below comments are in reference to the Victims Compensation Fund and
how the funds would be administred.
Our very dear friends and were lost in this
horrific tragedy. To cope and to try to deal with their absence from
this life is sometimes so overwhelming for me I can hardly breath, and I
am only a friend and neighbor. To try to comprehend what my friends and
their families are experiencing is unimaginable.
The nature of the fund, If I understand correctly would be to provide
financial security for spouses and their children.
If it is the governments intent to ask the families who opt into the
Fund to forego the right to sue, then I think in order to expedite this
Fund the following should be considered:
The amount awarded as damages should encompass all funeral, burial and
estate administration expenses incurred. It should be an amount that
would "fairly and adequately" compensate family for wages lost
from the time of his death until his retirement date. It should also
emcompass mortgage, education, medical expenses. I also believe the
physical pain and suffering endured by at the time of this tragedy
should be a factor of consideration along with the fact that these
monies are intended to help restore the family's loss and the money
therefore should not be considered "taxable".
was a diligent father, husband, friend and neighbor. He provided
for his children, loved them and was their biggest advocate. His
presence is so painfully missed.
The grieving and sorrow that the families are trying to work through now
doesnot need to be interupted by the continuous amount of paperwork and
correpondence that has monopolized their time to date. I went to a
Grief Support Meeting with my neighbors on Wednesday evening and the
families are overwhelmed by the red tape, paperwork, correspondence and
the continuous "uncertainty" their future holds. Please consider their
feelings, and the fact that the more time they have to spend on the
uncertainty of their future, the less time they have to spend with their
children and dealing with their sorrow. They are all trying to get their
lives back into some kind of order, if and whenever that is possible.
Therefore, I feel at this time it is extremely important for the
government of the United States to make the families fully aware of its
intent with reference to the fund and its provisions, only then can the
government ensure that there will be an incentive for the families to
sign onto the Victims Compensation Fund.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
West Windsor, NJ