305 20 12614 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, March 12, 2002 1:40 AM 911 victim funds To whom it may concern: I think it is outrageous that gays are excluded from help from the 911 victim funds. In the name of decency, please take action to correct this injustice. Respectfully, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000349.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 6:22 AM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund To: Mr. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Mgmt. Programs, Civ.Div.USDJ Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment New York NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000687.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 9:55 PM Victims of Sept 11 Dear Mr Zwick. I urge you to do the right thing as regards all surviving. partners including gay and lesbian. Please opose legislation that would unfairly deprive gay and lesbian Americans of their rights--in the name of justice. Thank you Individual Comment St. Exeter, NH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001062.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 10:27 PM take care of survivors of ALL 9-11's victims- "from the brave young gay man who lost his life on the plane attempting to save the lives of innocent people... to the gay priest who lost his life while ministering at Ground Zero... to the many lesbian and gay employees working in the World Trade Center... it is vitally important that we demand that our government treat all of our families with dignity and respect and equality." Hundreds of thousands of Americans didn't give millions of dollars in relief funds so that only SOME victims would be helped. Please take care of ALL our survivors of 9-11. Thank you. Individual Comment Granville, OH September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001070.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Olympia, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA003243.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, December 03, 2001 12:49 AM Topic 235: Claimant eligibility To the officials of the Dept. of Justice I am writing to publicly comment on the issue of Topic 235: Claimant Eligibility for the September 11th Victim's Compensation Fund ("the Fund"). Specifically, I am asking that long-term partners (also called domestic partners or life partners) of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered persons who were victims of the September 11th attacks be made eligible for compensation. Many Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered ("GLBT") people died in those attacks. Some were flight crew, others were passengers, office workers, and government personnel. They died cruel deaths, and in many cases left behind long-term partners as survivors. I have known GLBT people who have been in relationships for 10, 15, 30 years. I have no doubt that some of the victims were in such relationships. Along with the agony, grief, and emotional loss these partners face, they also face the loss of their homes, and have suffered emotional and financial cost of funeral expenses, and have suffered other losses. President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have both made statements saying the attacks were attacks on all Americans, and that we should celebrate and unite behind the fact that, despite our differences, we are all Americans. I request those establishing the rules for Claimant Eligibility include surviving long-term partners as claimants. All of the victims killed by the terrorists were regarded as "Americans". No distinction was made as to the race, color, creed, sexual orientation, or gender of those the terrorists killed. We should do no less when establishing criteria for who is eligible to file a claim. I urge you not to stamp the surviving long-term partners of GLBT victims as somehow being "second-class citiznes" less worthy than other classes. Individual Comment Denver, CO September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000265.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-03 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, December 18, 2001 8:25 PM Disgrace to Gays and Lesbians December 18, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Prairie du Chien, WI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002260.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Monday, November 26, 2001 6:04 PM JPMorgan Comments on Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Please find attached comments submitted by JPMorgan. ----------------------- November 26, 2001 VIA EMAIL AND OVERNIGHT MAIL DELIVERY September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Notice of Inquiry and Advance Notice of Rulemaking U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Room 3140 Washington, DC 20530 Re: Comments to the Notice of Inquiry and advance notice of rulemaking for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Dated November 5, 2001 To the Office of Management Programs: Please accept our comments to the advance notice of rulemaking for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 offered for public review on November 5, 2001. We provide these comments as a leading global financial services firm headquartered in New York with over $42 billion in stockholder equity and over $799 billion in assets. Our perspective on the Fund, and specifically its system for processing and compensating the victims of the September 11 attacks, comes from our extensive knowledge and operational experience in the administration of large and complex trusts and what is entailed in carrying out a massive compensation project. It is based on our 200 years of experience in providing trust and payment services to clients. Trust and fiduciary services are a core competency of the Firm and JPMorgan currently manages over $2.2 trillion in trust and custodial assets. We are administering the $5 billion National Tobacco Grower Settlement Trust, which makes annual payments to nearly one half million tobacco growers and quota holders. We regularly assist in numerous settlement payment requirements arising from complex litigation. As an institution, JPMorgan is deeply committed to providing whatever assistance or resources we have toward the effort of serving victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. We believe this is an effort that must succeed for the sake of our community and the nation. Our experience in these matters indicates that design of the system is the absolutely critical component to the successful administration of a large and public trust settlement. The key is simplicity in design of the system. To be successful, the system implemented here must rely on data management and data aggregation capacity, smart and professional victim assistance counselors, multi-faceted outreach, and the ability to transfer funds quickly and accurately. Congress created the compensation fund as an alternative to litigation for victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. As the November 5th notice states: "Litigation to obtain damages, particularly in a massive tort context, can be a lengthy, uncertain, process, filled with substantial risk and expense. The purpose of this compensation program is to offer all potential claimants a more expeditious, predictable, and less complex alternative to that process." We limit our comments to the fundamental operational decisions and practices that will enable the Fund to meet the intent of the legislation -- delivery of compensation payments to victims in an accurate, predictable and expedited manner. The law requires a very rapid turnaround from the filing of claims to the payment of compensation to victims who have suffered deeply from the extraordinary events of September 11th. The legal deadlines can be met, but only if the guiding philosophy in the administration of the Fund remains that it be a less complex alternative to litigation. To the degree that decisions are made that move away from more standardized practices, the Fund will approach litigation in complexity. Operationally, the number of claim disputes will increase, limiting the Fund's ability to rapidly distribute payments. At JP Morgan we appreciate the opportunity to contribute our experience in trust management to this process of determining how to rapidly distribute assistance to those who were harmed, to minimize the incidents of disputes, and to ensure that the Special Master is able to discharge his responsibilities in the time prescribed in the law and in a manner which will provide maximum benefit to the victims while minimizing the administrative costs. Topics #1 and 2: The Forms To Be Used in Submitting Claims Under This Program and the Information To Be Included on the Claims Form Claims forms should be designed to elicit the necessary information without being complex and confusing. They need to support a transparent system based on careful cataloging and assimilation of documents, thereby allowing the Fund to make quick and accurate payments to eligible victims. Fundamental to the design of these forms must be compatibility with existing data management systems. Accurate determinations to the key questions of whether the claimant was physically present and whether the claimant suffered physical harm will require supporting third party documents. To meet the twin goals of speed and accuracy these documents must respond to precise questions designed to provide the essential data supporting the claim so as to require a minimum amount of document interpretation. The unique and terrible nature of this tragedy means that many claims should be easily determined. This requires a form designed to expedite processing and permit speedy awards. Our recommendation is that forms be designed so the complexity of various claims can be easily differentiated, thereby allowing awards to be made more quickly in the simpler cases. It is essential the system be viewed as fairly and openly administered and that the basis for awards be easily understood. CLAIM FILING PROCEDURE For efficiency and to address the question of when the 120-day determination clock begins, the Special Master should not be part of the claim filing process. Rather, claim filing should be considered a two step process. The first step would be a review of claim forms for completeness and accuracy by a third party. The second step would be the forwarding of the claim forms by the third party, after they are deemed ready, to the Special Master. Only when received by the Special Master would they be considered officially filed and trigger the 120-day determination period. DESIGN OF FORMS The form's design and the information to be included should adhere to the following principles: Good data It is absolutely essential that the forms capture the needed data. This will require experience in system design and management based on the knowledge of what information is critical and the capability to confirm the accuracy of the information. Form design should avoid open-ended questions. Instead the forms' design must produce very specific and exact data. Secondly, each data field should request only one type of data to prevent multiple inputs of the same information within the form, thereby avoiding the potential of discrepancies. Standardization The form design should be simple to complete and standardized to ensure that the key data is captured for all claims. Instructions should be written in plain language, not legalese. The design should also make data entry simple. Additionally, the form should be divided into clear sections to again facilitate data entry and information research. This will help accelerate classification and preparation of claim reports. Lastly, there should be one common process with a common set of forms, so that every claim includes the same information and claimants are not confused by which form to file. Machine readability With such a tight timeframe and the need to keep consistent and accurate records, it is extremely desirable to create a system with forms that can be scanned into a computer system. Transparency A system design that focuses on simplicity and is easy to understand will stand up to public scrutiny, eliminate confusion, and minimize disputes. Predictability An application system based on transparency, simplicity, and uniformity of supplementary documentation will lend itself to fairness and predictability of outcome. The claims certification process should be so predictable that any person looking at an application would make the same judgment as to the validity of the application or the need for additional information. Designed to expedite awards/Pre-awards The application should incorporate a design that would gather the fundamental information up front so that you can provide qualifying victims a pre-award. In other words, it is possible to design a system where especially needy victims who have already suffered economic harm can receive interim relief. Supplementary data can then be assembled to complete the application and determine a final award. Multi-lingual The application design and information requirements should take into consideration the needs of non-English speaking claimants. Topic #3: Procedures for Hearing and the Presentation of Evidence With the large number of potential claimants and only 120 days to make determinations, the system will need to have a reliable record system supported by documents requiring a minimal amount of interpretation and so that the system avoids becoming subjective. A properly designed application and certification process will minimize the number of claims disputed as to qualification or amount of claim. Nevertheless, some number of cases will simply be disputed. A quick and informed process of claim presentation is necessary. The decisions should be quick and the relevant principles immediately recorded as consistent with the standards and precedents defined at the outset of the program. As an example of how a standardized, operationally sound program can expedite claim payment and limit challenges, JP Morgan consulted with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on a claim certification and dispute resolution program for tobacco farmer claims. There were more than 140,000 valid claimants, and disputes were heard in fewer than 150 cases, with funds being paid out for all claimants 90 days after the applications were received. A timetable, like what is envisioned for the September 11th Victim Funds is complex, but doable. Simplicity, The fewer the variables, the faster and more accurately the payments can be made to claimants. Speed Direct and immediate payments will make clear that the September 11th Fund has only one goal, rapidly providing assistance to victims. The process for submitting evidence should be designed to expedite claim management, reduce the need for third party assistance, and reduce the potential for fraud. Access to Records The compressed schedule will also put a premium on the need for accurate records which are both readily accessible and easy to interpret. Responsive and Accurate The records system must have the capability to track and respond to pre and post payment administrative issues. The Special Master needs to have confidence that the right funds get to the right person. Topic #4: Procedures to assist an Individual in Filing and Pursuing Claims Under This Title Outreach to the victims who are eligible for compensation must be professional, comprehensive, and personal. Information about how to apply for compensation should be shared with victims using all forms of the media. Claim applications need to be straightforward. The staff who speak directly with the victims must be knowledgeable, professional, and sensitive. A well designed outreach and victim's assistance program should: Keep forms simple and available Forms should be easily obtained, understandable, and easy to complete. Provide access to non-English speaking The application process should be accessible to non-English speaking claimants. Utilize a Website A website should be designed and put up immediately to serve as an information source for victims and to enable electronic filing of applications. Public outreach meetings Highly trained individuals should hold a series of informational meetings in the metropolitan area to bring applications to victims and help them understand the process. Frequently Asked Questions A list of frequently asked questions should be prepared as quickly as possible and made widely available. Media The outreach campaign should make aggressive use of the media when the program is launched to convey information and to encourage immediate responses. Disaster Relief Organizations The Special Master should meet with the Disaster Relief Organizations who are already responding to the tragedy both for victim outreach but also as part of the design process for determining assistance from collateral sources. Expertly staffed 800 number Not everyone has internet access and an expertly staffed 800 number with professionals who are capable of leading a victim through the application process will be for many their primary interaction with the September 11th Victim Fund. Computer tracking/Contact log All interactions should be tracked and logged to keep clear and accurate files on victims. Topic #5: Claimant Eligibility The Special Master needs to establish clear rules for determining claimant eligibility and have in place definitions of "personal representatives" and a process for how the identity is determined. This is especially important with a rolling claim award program where applications and awards will not all be made at the same time. With this Fund, there is the potential that a claim could be awarded to an individual claiming to be the personal representative before the official personal representative even applies. These personal representative determination rules can be reflected in the design of the application and the record management system. One component of the system should be a design to flag duplicative claimants for eligible individuals. Accurate record keeping for these cases is at a premium. In cases where there is uncertainty or a dispute over who is the appropriate personal representative of the victim, we would advise making a claim determination and holding the award payment in escrow. Topic #6: Nature and Amount of Compensation Based on our experience with the preferences of beneficiaries in other trusts, the Special Master may need to consider lump sum cash payments to the victims as their preferred award option. There are potential advantages to such a system, although an annuity plan may be the preferred course. In this special case, money gets to the victims immediately. It would also enable the Special Master to complete the program faster. Economic Loss/Noneconomic Loss In a program with such a large number of potential claimants, there is a strong need to err on the side of simple criteria, defining very finite standards which include a manageable number of variables in regard to situation and amount of claim. The system should asking open-ended questions calling for description as opposed to using very specific questions designed to elicit clear data. As an example a question which asks for a description of a victim's compensation will not yield as complete data as questions designed to ask specifically about the individual elements of a compensation plan. The goal should be to allow a nearly immediate determination of the claim with the proper documentation and information to minimize the need to exercise judgment or discretion as to individual cases. Fraud Prevention Measures There are three principles our experience has shown are effective tools in preventing fraud. First, create clear document standards in the application process. Second, make quick determinations and awards where possible; and third, offer financial advisory assistance to claimants after awards are made. A balance must be struck between sufficient supplementary document requirements and creating a process which is so onerous that potential claimants prefer the alternative of litigation. Define acceptable documentation It is absolutely critical to establish at the front end what information is required for an application and what will constitute acceptable documentation to support the claim. Uniformity and standardization will make it harder to manipulate the system. Build compatible data exchange with collateral source An experienced and sophisticated trust manager will have the capacity to develop data exchange capabilities with other record keepers in order to collaborate or fill in the information gaps in victim applications. Establish third party sources for immediate verification As part of the process for defining acceptable documentation, it is vital to establish acceptable third party sources to facilitate the verification of applications. Cross check data The data management system should automatically cross check the data entered on forms with related data contained in supplementary documents. For example, wages declared on the form should be cross-checked with income filed on a 1040 form. Supplementary documents should also be inspected for tampering. Quick determinations to eligible victims with clear needs Quick determinations will demonstrate a commitment to distributing payments to victims and will minimize the need for unnecessary intermediary fees. Bring in team of investment advisors Though not explicit in the proposed rulemaking, the government should consider the potential for post award fraud and how that can be minimized. Victims who receive large compensation benefits may not be prepared to manage those funds and may be vulnerable to bad advice. As an operational issue, in addition to the data management and payment of awards, JP Morgan strongly recommends that a team of qualified investment advisors be offered as an additional victim's counseling resource to help beneficiaries think through how to manage those funds. JP Morgan appreciates the opportunity to submit comments for your review and urges the Department to consider how these fundamental operational decisions will effect the ability of the Fund to be a viable alternative to litigation by enabling it to expedite the fair and accurate delivery of compensation to the victims of this horrible tragedy. Sincerely, Comment By: JP Morgan Chase Bank New York, NY September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000704.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Tuesday, November 06, 2001 8:27 AM Comment The charitable donations should be used first, with the government fund as a backup buffer for the victims immediate family only. Immediate family is wife, sons, daughters. While the parents, cousins, etc..., feel the loss, they should not be compensated. Particular attention should be paid to the Red Cross, which has collected more than $547 million dollars, yet has only paid out 0.10 cents on the dollar. This agency has a history of fiduciary irressponsibility. Tens of thousand have donated to the Red Cross, only to find out that the bulk of the donation is eaten up by salaries, perks, and administrative costs of the Red Cross. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000069.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 4, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Fax: 301-519-5956 I implore you to include among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. If we as a country are truly united and stand for equality for all people, the U.S. Government must follow the example already set by New York Governor Pataki in granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day-to-day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Sincerely, Individual Comment Gaithersburg, MD September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000905.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-04 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 11:34 AM Equal Access to Sept. 11 Benefits December 19, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I write as a member of Amnesty International, a worldwide human rights movement committed to ensuring respect for the basic human rights of people without discrimination, in support of equal access to benefits under the September 11 Victims Relief Fund for all victims, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. As you know, the United States has committed to uphold international human rights standards, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination. As you consider rules for administering the relief fund, I ask that you apply basic international human rights standards, and the general principle of equality, by including among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners, as well as de facto parents or children, without regard to sexual orientation or marital status. The State of New York has already adopted such a policy, granting compensation benefits "on a showing of mutual interdependence with the victim, in recognition that anyone who shared with the victim living expenses, day to day activities and the emotional bonds of family deserves help in this time of need." Many lesbian and gay people were killed in the September 11th attacks. Since then, lesbian and gay surviving partners of those killed have had mixed results in obtaining equal treatment at the local level in the distribution of relief funds by private and state agencies. An inclusive policy on the part of the federal government would help establish an important principle for other such funds. In compensating victims, real justice will be served only when all families - and all types of families - impacted by the human rights tragedy of September 11 are treated with dignity and equality. Thank you for considering my concerns. I look forward to hearing from you about your efforts to ensure that all surviving victims of the September 11 attacks have equal access to the relief fund. Sincerely, Individual Comment Decatur, GA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA005056.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 14, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment Bothell, WA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA004593.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-14 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. December 13, 2001 Special Master Kenneth R. Feinberg September 11th Victim Compensation Fund U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 To Mr. Feinberg: I am writing to urge you to ensure fair treatment for all surviving families of the tragedy on September 11th, including the children and families of low-wage workers and gay and lesbian families. Under traditional rules based on lost wages, the survivors of a bond trader earning millions of dollars per year might receive thousands of times as much compensation as the survivors of a dishwasher in one of the restaurants destroyed. Justice requires looking far beyond the last paycheck to the inherent worth of all those killed, so that a high minimum compensation level is set to lessen the disparities. It would be a double blow to the survivors to first lose their loved one and then watch as most of the taxpayer money went to those who were already well off in the first place. The second major issue has to do with recognizing the legitimacy of gay and lesbian relationships and families. Gay and lesbian families are especially vulnerable when one partner is killed. Because the option of marriage is unavailable, these families may find themselves in the traumatic predicament of having to prove that their union is legitimate. Fortunately, both the Red Cross and the State of New York have already announced that they will not discriminate against gay and lesbian families. The Department of Justice should do the same. Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to hearing how you will act on these very important issues. Sincerely, Individual Comment North New Portland, ME September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA002606.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Sunday, January 13, 2002 12:43 AM compensation This compensation is absurd. My sympathies are with the families. There is insurance, workman's comp., and public charities to cover losses. These are my tax dllars that someone is giving away. Why should I give to any charity from now on if the government is going to something inconsistant and stupid like this. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN001566.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, December 21, 2001 2:23 PM Justice help all terrorist victims Dear Mr. Zwick: The very humane Fund for relatives of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks must include all relatives of all the victims. This importantly should include the partners and children of same sex unions. They suffer just as grievously for their deceased loved ones as do other survivors, and their need for assistance is just as great. Please do not give in to the importuning of callous homophobic groups and individuals who would have the Department of Justice limit compensation to survivors of heterosexual unions. They are interested in a political victory, not humane assistance. This Fund is intended for humane purposes; it is not a political statement, Mr. Zwick. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN000528.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, December 08, 2001 6:54 PM Dear Mr. Zwick: I am writing in response to the Department's request for public comments regarding the forthcoming regulations for implementing and administering the "September 11 Victim Compensation Fund." I strongly urge the Department to draft regulations that ensure compensation is available to all victims of the attack, including the committed partners and the non-biological children of gay and lesbian victims. It is unquestionable that the devastating grief and economic losses suffered by the families of gay and lesbian victims are no less than that of other families. Just as the terrorists drew no lines in choosing their victims, our country must draw no lines in compensating those who suffered the most personal of losses from these horrific attacks. Many Americans lost their lives on September 11, each of whom left behind loved ones. I urge the Department to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-08 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA001349.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-08 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 23, 2002 8:23 PM 9/11 Compensation Fund I have become aware that the regulations governing distribution of compensation to victims of the 9/11 tragegies prohibit funds going to the partners and family members of gay and lesbian victims. At the same time funds are allowed to be distributed to partners and families of illegal aliens and unborn children. If either or both of these regulations are true, I wish to strongly protest the discrimination and inequities inherent in them. It is abhorrent to think that such biased rules be in effect for a tragegy that barred noone from its victim list. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR002667.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Wednesday, December 05, 2001 3:06 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund I am writing in support of all efforts to allow all "family members" to have been directly effected by the September 11th events to be fully compensated. I specifically mean any gay individuals and/or anyone depending on support from those injured and/or displaced by the event. I am to well aquatinted with those who have suffered unnecessarily due to other individuals prejudices. Not only am I gay, but I live and work in New York City, and experienced this tragedy from a first hand experience. I strongly believe that it was prejudice of a religious nature that has caused these events, and truly hope that another prejudice of another religious nature is not the cause for continued injury to the persons affected by the disaster. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Best regards, Individual Comment Astir, NY P.S. Yes, I am a registered voter. September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojA000828.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2001-12-05 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Friday, January 18, 2002 3:12 PM Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20530 September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 Special Master Kenneth Feinberg Re: 24-hour medical treatment rule - 28 CFR Part 104 [104.2(c)(1)] Dear Special Master: Section 104.2(c)(1) of the interim final rule to Title IV of Public Law 107-42 states, in relevant part, that you impose a requirement of "medical treatment within 24 hours of the injury having been sustained" for an injury to be considered by you as "physical harm." In fact, the statute under which you labor -Public Law 107-42- states, in relevant part, that a person is eligible for the compensation under the law if two conditions are met: that the person "(i) was present at the World Trade Center " and "(ii) suffered physical harm or death as a result of such an air crash." To begin with, Congress wrote that it wishes to compensate any person that was present at the WTC and suffered physical harm. It would appear that your inclusion of a 24-hour medical treatment requirement limits the wish of Congress. The Executive Power can not limit the will of the people as expressed by Congress; it should only execute it. You saluted this law as "an unprecedented expression of compassion on the part of the American people to the victims and their families " It seems cruel and unamerican to exclude from this expression of compassion many victims just because it took them more than 24 hours to receive medical treatment. In fact, you admit that the September 11 victims were "devastated by the horror and tragedy of September 11." To some of the victims, living and reliving this horror (not only the first day but days, weeks and months), disoriented them and made them live recurrent nightmares and flashbacks disabling them from any activity. Others were so scared that did not dare go out of their homes. Still others, to this day can not take a subway or go out of their homes without their loved ones. In other cases, victims were feeling so bad from the injuries to their bodies and respiratory systems that simply could not get out of their homes. Many were disoriented for a long time. In many cases, the victims had children to take care of, who were terribly freightened and emotionally affected. They had no real choice. They had to live with their pain while they took care of the children. In other cases, it took time for the victims to organize themselves and find care for their children so that they could go to get medical treatment. Finally, your introduction to the interim final rule acknowledges receiving comments from many organizations. Notably, you do not mention any medical, scientific or psychiatric organization. The rules should be made on a medical and scientific basis. Medical, scientific and psychiatric associations are in agreement that (1) "physical harm" can not be defined by the period in which treatment is sought for the injury, (2) physical injuries exist whether the victim seeks medical treatment or not, and (3) a victim may have physical harm and not even know it, at least for a long time. Conversely, there is no medical, scientific or psychiatric evidence that correlates the severity or existence of "physical harm" with the period in which medical treatment for it is provided. Each human being is different. Your own Department of Justice has doctors, social workers and psychologists advising the victims: These professionals will tell you -and have done so already- that the victims with physical harm are as likely to have retreated onto themselves for days and weeks so that they were unable to go get medical treatment within 24 hours. The federal Center for Diseases Control -as well as the Surgeon General- will tell you that physical harm can not be defined with respect to the time within which the victim sought medical treatment. Prestigious groups as those mentioned, together with the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association as well as professors and researchers should also be consulted: they will tell you that the 24-hour medical treatment rule is not medically or scientifically based. Over 100 WTC victims and their families integrate the Hispanic Victims' Self-Help Group. The "medical treatment within 24 hours" reqirement imposed by the rule will exclude from the benefits provided by the law more than 50% of the victims with medically proven physical harm. As you say, your office is "required, of course, to adhere to the language which Congress set out in the statute." The statute provides for compensation to victims who suffered physical harm in the World Trade Center -and other specified places- on September 11 as a result of the air crashes. Your office is not to make a rule limiting the language and purpose of Congress's compassionate pronouncement. Comment by: Hispanic Victims' Self-Help Group September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojN002030.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-18 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Department of Justice Emails Description An account of the resource The Department of Justice received more than 11,000 e-mails in response to the agency's public solicitation for comments upon its plans to distribute the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 established by Congress to benefit the victims of September 11 and their families. These e-mails have been organized here by date. September 11 Email September 11 Email: Body The basic content, as unstructured text; sometimes containing a signature block at the end. Saturday, March 16, 2002 1:37 PM Fairness Really, what is wrong with you people...have you not learned anything about life and how fleetingly it can be taken away? How can you ever justify giving any compensation from the 9/11 tragedy to illegal aliens and not to partners of gays and lesbians? Why is it that homophobia is allowed to exist when laws are broken to accomodate illegal aliens. We are your brothers, sisters, neighbors, friends...your teachers, coworkers, bosses...why are you so threatened by people who have nothing to do with you...who are not trying to infringe their lives upon you?. THIS IS NOT A SEXUAL ISSUE...THIS IS A COMPASSIONATE ISSUE. Please rethink your biased stand on this issue and realize that everyone who lost someone is hurting and it should not matter whether that person is gay or lesbian. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojR000920.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. email Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-16