P000604
UNITED STATES SENATE
January 24, 2002
Mr. Kenneth Feinberg
Special Master in Charge of Distribution
Victim Compensation Fund
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Rm 1145
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Dear Mr. Feinberg,
Enclosed please find a copy of the correspondence Senator Boxer received from
, regarding eligibility for the Victims Compensation Fund. states that she lost
her father in the World Trade Center, but has been unable to obtain financial assistance.
Although she is not a minor, she states that her father was assisting her financially.
Senator Boxer is forwarding the attached for your review and consideration. Any
information you can provide in response to the concerns expressed by will be most
appreciated.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Please respond to Senator Boxer's San
Francisco office, .
Sincerely,
Director of Constituent Services
Attachment 1:
Dec. 16, 2001
Sen. Barbara Boxer
312 North Spring St. Suite 1748
Los Angeles, CA
Dear Sen. Boxer,
I wanted to write to let you know I moved to California a year and a half ago, making this
state my new home. I lost my dad who worked in the World Trade Center and my mom passed
on a few years ago as well and I am an only child. Therefore I have to deal with everything
myself now. So I wanted to get on your radar screen, since I have been feeling like I might fall
through the cracks. Recently I got a letter from Gov. Pataki and the NY State World Trade
Center Relief Fund, which was designed for us. But of all the forms they sent me, I don't fall
under any category - I am not my dad's spouse, I am not a child or a child who is dependent. As a
print reporter covering the television industry I don't make that much money, so my dad had to
help subsidize me with some money each month for living expenses here in L.A. I called the 800
number for the NYS WTC Fund and the worker said I don't get anything.
Now I am working with Red Cross to help me. I have many bills, including lawyers I had
to hire in NY State to help me with everything out there. I also have to pay back some loans my
dad had, which is not legally my problem, but in a sense there is no one else to deal with my
dad's estate except me. I am the only next of kin, as I said. So I did get a $5,000 check from
United Way of L.A. and the told me I had to wait till they heard further word from the Sept. 11
Fund they set up, because I told them I had to help pay for a loan my dad took out, could they
help me further...So last week they had the press conference with George Clooney and the United
Way people and NYS Attorney General Elliott Spitzer, they said they were opening up $78
million of the total money raised for us victims. That day I called my L.A. Chapter of United
Way, spoke to the woman I had dealt with, who was professional, but could have been kinder
and
more compassionate to my plight, esp. since they are supposed to be a humanitarian
organization.
She said I didn't qualify for the $10,000 they said on the press conference, because I am not
totally dependent on my dad. But the people of America donated that money to go to people like
me and it is a frustrating process. I guess if my dad had life insurance it wouldn't be such a big
deal, but after my mom died, he and jointly made a decision to cancel the life insurance to go to
other more important living expenses.
I just want also to make sure that your office knows my name and that in the future I and
my dad will not be forgotten, when time comes to do a memorial as well. Even though I want to
remain low-key, I do want representation from your office. Being 3,000 miles away from ground
zero, it has been hard even to get my dad's mail forwarded, with all the anthrax scare and I found
my address was even written wrong by some of the NY offices. I do have a contact in NYS
Gov.'s office, but I find them all in NY state very overwhelmed and swamped.
I have always admired you and felt that you really speak on behalf of the people in our
state. If you are ever in town, feel free to call me or meet with me, if you need. That would be
nice. This whole thing will be a long process.
Enclosed is an editorial article I felt the need to write for my readers in a New England
town I used to be a newspaper reporter in, who had heard about what happened to me, even
though I am trying to maintain whatever privacy I have left. I wanted to share it with you. I did
not mention his name in my article because of security reasons and all that security fraud people
worried about. God Bless you.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Los Angeles, CA
Attachment 2:
Newspaper Article
Attachment 3:
Dec. 16, 2001
,
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
523 West Sixth Street
Los Angles, CA 90014
Dear ,
I wanted to thank you for the $5,000 sent to me Nov. 30, which was facilitated by the Calif.
Victim's Compensation Fund people. I also wanted to share with you a copy of an editorial
article I wrote for readers of a former newspaper where I was a reporter.
I moved to California a year and a half ago, making this state my new home. I lost my dad who
worked in the World Trade Center and my mom passed on a few years ago as well and I am an
only child. Therefore I have to deal with everything myself now. Recently I got a letter from Gov.
Pataki and the NY State World Trade Center Relief Fund, which was designed for us. But of all
the forms they sent me, I don't fall under any category - I am not my dad's spouse, I am not a
child or a child who is dependent. As a print reporter covering the television industry I don't
make
that much money, so my dad had to help subsidize me with some money each month for living
expenses here in L.A. I called the 800 number for the NYS WTC Fund and the worker said I
don't
get anything from that fund.
I called , as you said in your letter and gave the correct spelling of my dad's
name and also asked her about more funding, since I have to help pay an equity loan that my dad
took out. Without paying it back, it is hard to sell our house in NY and even though I am not
legally responsible for his debts, I am the only one who has to deal with everything, since I am
the
only next of kin. I had to hire and will have to pay for NY lawyers to help me with everything.
When I first called , she said they wouldn't know any more info until the Sept. 11
Fund was opened up. I called her last week, the day George Clooney held the press conference to
ask her if I can qualify for that $10,000 they announced. Firstly, I want to say she was
professional, which should be a given. But it wouldn't hurt your organization to have more
compassion and kindness in the tone of your workers, since you are supposed to be a charitable
and humanitarian organization.
While the $10,000 would help me greatly, $41,000 would help me just break even to be
honest, since the equity loan is big, and I have proof of how much it is on paper from the bank
statements, if you need (the equity loan off the house is actually more than $41,000). After my
mom died, my dad and I jointly made the decision to cancel his life insurance policy to put that
money into more important living expenses. So you can imagine I have many things to deal with
on my
own and help from your Sept. 11 Fund would be greatly appreciated. had said I
might not qualify because I was not totally dependent on my dad. But he did help me with living
expenses just to help be be able to live in L.A. So I was partly dependent.
I find it tough to look at Mayor's Guiliani's decision to open the Twin Tower Fund to just give
families of NY firefighters $100,000. For those of us who lost innocent loved ones whose only
fault was reporting to work on Sept.11th. I've have had to actively seek out help at a time when I
am just trying to get through life day by day. My dad wasn't a cop or firefighter, so he wasn't in a
brotherhood to speak out for him, as they do for themselves. It's not a question of becoming rich
from this awful tragedy I have been through, it's merely that the funding would help me deal with
debts and other hardships that I didn't even think about until Sept. 11 and just break even. It is
especially frustrating when the Sept. 11 Fund was opened up in the name of the tragedy and
supposed to help us, the victims left with this mess we have to deal with, and the American
people
wanted it to go to us. They said they are opening up $78 million of the Sept. 11 Fund. Please
contact me if you can help me with at least the $10,000 they mentioned in last week's press
conference. Thank you for your time and God Bless.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Los Angeles, CA
cc: , President and General Manager, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles
Senator Barbara Boxer
Congressman Henry Waxman