What is the 9/11 VCF Deadline? The good news for the 9/11 community has continued into 2020. On July 29, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act (“Zadroga Act”). The Zadroga Act made several changes to the structure and implementation of the VCF, including: Removing funding caps Extending the filing deadline to 2090 Fully…

If you’ve ever had any interaction with the federal government, then you are familiar with its alphabet soup of agencies and programs — IRS, FDA, SSD, SSDI, FCC, SNAP, and FAFSA, just to name a few. One of the most important federal programs for victims of the 9/11 attacks is the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (known by the letters VCF), which is administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ). However, many mistakenly refer to…

The Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund posts detailed program updates three times a year: once in May, with statistics through April 30; once in September, with statistics through August 31; and once in January, with statistics through December 31. She also posts more frequent monthly updates that, while less detailed than the tri-annual reports, provide more up-to-date information. According to the Special Master’s most recent monthly update (that of November 2019…

Does the public charge doctrine impact claimants to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund? On August 14, 2019, the U.S. Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS) published final regulations to expand the “public charge doctrine,” which generally provides grounds of inadmissibility and deportation of immigrants who are likely to depend on government welfare benefits for subsistence . The new regulations have been met with public outcry and outrage as they could potentially jeopardize…

One of the most pressing issues on VCF claimants’ minds — and one of the most common questions we receive — is how much compensation they may recover. As with most questions in the legal world, the answer is “it depends.” Generally, the amount of compensation a claimant receives depends upon the extent of their losses. Calculation of VCF Awards The VCF calculates each claimant’s award based upon the following formula: Non-economic losses + economic…

Contact a 9/11 Lawyer Today to Discuss Your Legal Rights and Options As we frequently note, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 had broad and far-reaching impacts, even on individuals who were not directly involved. The collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center caused several other buildings in the area to collapse, which created a 16-acre area now known as “Ground Zero.” The collapse of these buildings, in turn, sent up a plume…

The attacks of 9/11 and their aftermath impacted the lives of thousands of people all across the country and around the world. The attorneys at Pitta & Baione are humbled and honored to fight for the rights of all 9/11 victims no matter where they’re from. However, we feel a particularly close connection to the people of Staten Island, which is home for most of our attorneys. As the only 9/11 law firm on Staten …