N002098
Sunday, January 20, 2002 12:54 AM
Reevaluation of Victim's Compensation
To Whom it May Concern:
I am writing on behalf of family friends who lost their son in the World
Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Like most families who lost loved ones
that tragic day, my friends are absolutely devastated by the death of their
only son. Unlike other families, however, my friends stand to go
unrecognized and virtually ignored by the system if the current rules for the
Federal Victim's Compensation Fund apply.
These friends, an elderly immigrant couple, are retired. They lived with
their son, , in Brooklyn. Though a modest wage earner, was
young and had a bright future ahead of him. served a role very
familiar to second generation children -- that of a conduit to the larger,
sometimes foreign community. He was extremely devoted to his parents,
supporting them financially and emotionally, caring for them when they were
ill. When his mother suffered a debilitating injury several years ago, it
was who tended to her and bathed her. It is a sad technicality that
his parents were not claimed as dependents on tax returns, for they
indeed relied on him as their primary caregiver.
I am requesting that you reevaluate the terms by which the families of
victims will be compensated. Every victim and every family will not neatly
fall into the efficient categories we set to paper. It is important that we
take the time to recognize the special circumstances that do exist. died that morning in his office believing in his country. It is only fair that his parents, vulnerable especially now, are taken care of now that
is no longer here.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Los Angeles, CA