{ "id": "R45808", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R45808", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 602273, "date": "2019-07-15", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T15:56:55.687934", "title": "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): Background and Potential Reauthorization", "summary": "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) provides cash benefits to certain persons whose health may have been affected by exposure to debris or toxic substances in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, and the terrorist-related aircraft crash at Shanksville, PA. Congress created the original VCF shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks to provide compensation to persons injured and to the families of persons killed in the attacks and their immediate aftermath. In 2011, Congress reopened the VCF to provide benefits to persons who responded to the terrorist attack sites, were involved in the cleanup of these sites, or lived in lower Manhattan during the attacks. The VCF was reauthorized in 2015, and it is scheduled to sunset on December 18, 2020. \nThe VCF has awarded more than $5 billion since its reopening and is in danger of exceeding its current appropriation of $7.375 billion before its sunset date and thus being unable to pay full benefits. In February 2019, the Special Master of the VCF announced that all future VCF awards would be reduced to prevent the VCF from running out of appropriated funds. The Special Master cites increases in death claims, cancer claims, and claims from non-responders as drivers of the increase in VCF benefit costs. \nReauthorization bills, H.R. 1327 and S. 546, have been introduced, with H.R. 1327 being ordered reported out of the Judiciary Committee on June 12, 2019. Both bills would reauthorize the VCF without changing any eligibility categories and appropriate \u201csuch sums as may be necessary\u201d for each fiscal year through FY2090. On July 12, 2019, H.R. 1327 was passed by the House of Representatives with amendments that changed the bill\u2019s name, changed the provisions for adjusting the maximum amount of income considered for determining noneconomic loss, added up to two Deputy Special Masters to the program\u2019s administration, and made the bill\u2019s spending exempt from PAYGO requirements.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45808", "sha1": "5aac87b72f9ede7a66a87d860730dafb71f9030c", "filename": "files/20190715_R45808_5aac87b72f9ede7a66a87d860730dafb71f9030c.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45808", "sha1": "823263c317844d17618c4baee7ee7219ccd06a71", "filename": "files/20190715_R45808_823263c317844d17618c4baee7ee7219ccd06a71.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4760, "name": "Workers\u2019 Compensation" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4934, "name": "Sex Offenses & Victims of Crime" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 601896, "date": "2019-07-11", "retrieved": "2019-07-11T22:21:28.595864", "title": "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): Background and Potential Reauthorization", "summary": "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) provides cash benefits to certain persons whose health may have been affected by exposure to debris or toxic substances in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, and the terrorist-related aircraft crash at Shanksville, PA. Congress created the original VCF shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks to provide compensation to persons injured and to the families of persons killed in the attacks and their immediate aftermath. In 2011, Congress reopened the VCF to provide benefits to persons who responded to the terrorist attack sites, were involved in the cleanup of these sites, or lived in lower Manhattan during the attacks. The VCF was reauthorized in 2015, and it is scheduled to sunset on December 18, 2020. \nThe VCF has awarded more than $5 billion since its reopening and is in danger of exceeding its current appropriation of $7.375 billion before its sunset date and thus being unable to pay full benefits. In February 2019, the Special Master of the VCF announced that all future VCF awards would be reduced to prevent the VCF from running out of appropriated funds. The Special Master cites increases in death claims, cancer claims, and claims from non-responders as drivers of the increase in VCF benefit costs. \nReauthorization bills, H.R. 1327 and S. 546, have been introduced, with H.R. 1327 being ordered reported out of the Judiciary Committee on June 12, 2019. Both bills would reauthorize the VCF without changing any eligibility categories and appropriate \u201csuch sums as may be necessary\u201d for each fiscal year through FY2090.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45808", "sha1": "d79e7b7def61515220042f39352cbd7068e96d97", "filename": "files/20190711_R45808_d79e7b7def61515220042f39352cbd7068e96d97.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45808", "sha1": "0cd209b24e1fb1604da3a2faea6121a7045bb838", "filename": "files/20190711_R45808_0cd209b24e1fb1604da3a2faea6121a7045bb838.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4760, "name": "Workers\u2019 Compensation" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4934, "name": "Sex Offenses & Victims of Crime" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 601758, "date": "2019-07-10", "retrieved": "2019-07-10T22:12:23.510329", "title": "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF): Background and Potential Reauthorization", "summary": "The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) provides cash benefits to certain persons whose health may have been affected by exposure to debris or toxic substances in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, and the terrorist-related aircraft crash at Shanksville, PA. Congress created the original VCF shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks to provide compensation to persons injured and to the families of persons killed in the attacks and their immediate aftermath. In 2011, Congress reopened the VCF to provide benefits to persons who responded to the terrorist attack sites, were involved in the cleanup of these sites, or lived in lower Manhattan during the attacks. The VCF was reauthorized in 2015, and it is scheduled to sunset on December 18, 2020. \nThe VCF has awarded more than $5 billion since its reopening and is in danger of exceeding its current appropriation of $7.375 billion before its sunset date and thus being unable to pay full benefits. In February 2019, the Special Master of the VCF announced that all future VCF awards would be reduced to prevent the VCF from running out of appropriated funds. The Special Master cites increases in death claims, cancer claims, and claims from non-responders as drivers of the increase in VCF benefit costs. \nReauthorization bills, H.R. 1327 and S. 546, have been introduced, with H.R. 1327 being ordered reported out of the Judiciary Committee on June 12, 2019. Both bills would reauthorize the VCF without changing any eligibility categories and appropriate \u201csuch sums as may be necessary\u201d for each fiscal year through FY2090.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45808", "sha1": "523f7204eaaea8881b7b707d577bea85d8ac5bbb", "filename": "files/20190710_R45808_523f7204eaaea8881b7b707d577bea85d8ac5bbb.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45808", "sha1": "d8f056c9d01b24c6de73f679e19e349c170f3487", "filename": "files/20190710_R45808_d8f056c9d01b24c6de73f679e19e349c170f3487.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [] }