896 20 70359 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 26, 2001 10:47 AM EQUALITY! December 26, 2001 Dear Mr. Kenneth Zwick, I am sending this email 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 TALLAHASSEE, FL September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-26 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 dojN000930.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. 2001-12-26 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, March 12, 2002 3:06 PM 9/11 Fund Descrimination Against Gays Please help me understand. The county is accepting Illegal Immigrants over our own citizens? I is this so? Women have the same rights as men, blacks as whites, but (depending on sexual orientation) you may not have the right as a citizen as your fellow citizens? I'm dumbfounded. If you read the following, there is no constant. Here lies contradition, and I will not stand for it. As a citizen, I will be treated as a citizen, and so will straight and gays alike. There is no visual difference between gays and straights. There is no moral difference between gays and straights. There is no ethical difference. It is preference in the bedroom. Is that not to be respected in 2002? Is being gay deemed unjust in this just society? Ethically and Morally there are inconsistencies and contradictions that need to be addressed. This begins with understanding between who our citizens are, and who illegal immigrants are. Be moral, be strong, be consistent, then clarity, justice and understanding will prevail. Acknowledge receipt of this message. US Citizen. Individual Comment Los Angeles CA 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 dojR000476.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. Saturday, January 26, 2002 12:02 PM complaints I am so sick and tired of listening to people whine about the amount of monitary compensation they will receive for the death of their loved ones in the Sept. 11 tragedy. I can not believe I hear women like complain that $1.6 million is NOT ENOUGH money. Let me tell you something Greedy , my husband is active duty military, 23 years. He puts his life on the line every time he deploys! Protecting people like you and your decieced husband. And, my husband doesn't make $96,000 a year, working in a luxury high rise building. He makes 1/2 that, working on the flight deck of an Air Craft Carrier. Under all weather conditions, in all situations of hostility. If he dies while out to sea, defending your pathetic ass, I get $250,000. That's all, no more. Remember those unfortunate sailors of the U.S.S. Cole, who like your husband, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their loved ones received $250,000. That's all, No more. So Shut up and consider yourself lucky!!!! $1.6 million is like a lottery win. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-26 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 dojP000330.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. 2002-01-26 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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:15 AM Compnesation for gays and lesbians 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 Greensburg , KS 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 dojA002726.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. Wednesday, December 19, 2001 1:31 PM Support Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners 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 Pittsburgh, PA 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 dojA003318.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. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 5:50 PM Victims comp fund Dear Mr. Zwick: The deduction of proceeds from "collateral sources" (life insurance, pensions) from the total compensation amount from the Fund clearly penalizes those who have acted responsibly and planned ahead. Yet there are constant reminders from government reports and the media that Americans are not saving enough for their future and need to save more. To "penalize the planners" may have a substantial and perhaps undesired effect on the future personal saving habits of Americans. I feel that payments from privately purchased life insurance policies or collateral payments from pension sources should not be a consideration in the calculation of government compensation. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinions. Sincerely, Individual Comment Arlington, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 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 dojN002318.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. 2002-01-22 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. Congress of the United States Washington, DC 20515 October 25, 2001 The Honorable John Ashcroft Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear General Ashcroft: On September 21, 2001, Congress passed H.R. 2926, the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (now Public Law 107-42), a critical first step toward ensuring the future vitality of commercial aviation in America and throughout the world. While H.R. 2926 provides immediate assistance to the industry, it also addresses Congress' urgent responsibility to ensure fairness, justice and compassion for the human victims of the horrific events of September 11, and for their families. Title IV of the Act establishes a September 11th Compensation Fund to be administered by a Special Master appointed by the Attorney General of the United States. We write to urge you to appoint that Special Master expeditiously but with due diligence. As you know, Section 407 of the measure requires that you, in consultation with the Special Master, promulgate regulations to carry out the activities of the fund within 90 days of the bill's enactment. To that end, it is vital that a Special Master be appointed quickly. We feel Strongly that the Special Master you choose must have the support and confidence of the Senate and the House and of the elected representatives of the victims in particular. Title IV vest an enormous amount of power and discretion in you and in the Special Master. The regulations you promulgate and the way you administer the fund will have enormous repercussions for the victims and their families. The Special Master you select must have extensive experience, extraordinary judgment and legal ability, broad respect within the legal community and bipartisan support in Congress. Accordingly, we respectfully request that you consult with us prior to selecting the Special Master and promulgating regulations. The Honorable John Ashcroft October 12, 2001 Page 2 Our nation and Congress have come together, heeding the President's call for unity in action and spirit in the wake of the terrible events of September 11. We know that you will appoint the Special Master and promulgate the regulations in the same spirit of cooperation in the very near future to discuss this process. Attached you will find proposed regulations we would like you to consider for the September 11th Compensation Fund. Yours respectfully, Tom Daschle Richard A. Gephardt Senate Majority Leader House Democratic Leader Patrick J. Leahy John Conyers Jr. Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee Regulations pursuant to Section H.R.2926. Section 407. "September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001" 401. Scope and Purpose. The regulations in this part apply to claims presented or filed pursuant to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001(the "Act"). The purpose of these regulations is to effectuate a coherent framework to provide full, fair, uniform and expeditious compensation to victims and families of victims resulting from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and these regulations should be interpreted to effectuate that purpose. 402. Definitions and Use of Terms. The purposes of these regulations and as used in the Act, except where otherwise provided, the following definitions shall apply: 1. Spouse. The term "spouse," shall mean the person who is deemed by the laws of the state in which the claimant resides to be legally married to the claimant at the time of his or her death; or is deemed to be the claimant's spouse under the laws of the state in which the claimant resided that would apply in determining the devolution of the claimant's intestate personal property or would have the right of a spouse to share in the claimant's intestate personal property under such laws. 2. Child. The term, "child," shall mean any natural or adopted child of the claimant or decedent on whose behalf a claim is brought under the Act. 3. Minor Child. The term, "minor child," as used in these regulations, shall refer to any child who is no more than 18 years old, or no more than 23 years old where such child is enrolled full time as a student in a secondary or post-secondary educational institution. 4. Decedent. The term, "decedent," shall mean a person who has been declared by law or appropriate legal authority to be deceased. 5. Decedent Claimant. The term, "decedent claimant," shall mean a decedent person on whose behalf a claim is brought under the Act. 6. Dependent. The term, "dependent," as used in these regulations shall mean any person who received or reasonably would receive in the future services or support from the decedent or injured person. 7. Personal Representative of the Decedent. For the Purposes of filling a claim under the Act, "personal representative of the decedent," shall mean: (1) a person named by the decedent in a will or other testamentary documents; (2) a parent or the legal 1 guardian of the decedent where the decedent was a minor or was under the legal custody of another person or institution pursuant to an award of custody established by a court of competent jurisdiction; or (3) a person duly qualified or appointed under an applicable state law. 8. Immediate Aftermath. The term," immediate aftermath," shall mean the period commencing at the time of the crash of each of the air carriers in the September 11th attack, or the period commencing at the time of the collapse of any building that occurred on that same date as a result of such crash and terminating 48 hours thereafter, and shall be extended beyond such period only to include efforts by authorized persons to rescue persons or recover human remains from the site of the collapse of any such building or crash. 9. Physical Harm. The term, "physical harm," shall mean any direct injury to a person and any resulting condition, disability or loss that directly and in natural sequence is caused by the injury. 10. Present at. The term, "present at," shall mean being within the described physical location, within any building at the described physical location or in such proximity of any described physical location so that a person suffered physical harm due to impact from any part of an aircraft or building within a described physical location. 11. Collateral Source. The term, "collateral source," shall include payments to the Claimant from sources of compensation or benefits, including life insurance, pension funds, death benefit programs, and payments by the Federal, State or local governments as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes on September 11, 2001. It shall not include any grants or gifts given, or expected to be given, to the Claimant as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes on September 11, 2001, from any non-profit, religious or other charitable 501(c)(3) organization. 12. "collateral source compensation....has received or is entitled to receive." For the purposes of determining the amount by which to reduce a Claimant's compensation due to collateral source compensation, the Special Master shall consider collateral source payments received by the Claimant or personal representative of the decedent and collateral source payments that are reasonably certain to be due Claimant or personal representative of decedent in the future. Reasonably certain means collateral source payments as to which there is either a statutory or contractual right or fully vested interest at the time of the final determination. 2 403. Special Master/Hearing Officers. 1. Special Master. The Attorney General's appointment of any individual as the Special Master shall be for a term of 3 years, subject to termination by the Attorney General for incompetency, misconduct, or neglect of duty or for any other good cause shown. The Special Master shall be responsible for the following: a) Administering the Office of Special Master, hiring its staff, providing for the efficient, expeditious, and effective handling of claims, and performing such other duties related to the Act as may be assigned by the Attorney General; b) Administering the September 11thth Victim Compensation Fund established under this Act; c) Promulgating all procedural and substantive rules for the administration of this Fund; d) Appointing and fixing the salary and duties of such administrative staff as necessary. Such staff shall be subject to removal for good cause by the Special Master; e) Appointing and fixing the salary and duties of such Hearing Officers as necessary; f) Managing and executing all aspects of budgetary and administrative affairs affecting the Hearing Officers and their staff; and g) Reporting every 6 months to the Attorney General and the committees of the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate on the number of claims filed and their disposition, the types and amounts of awards, the length of time for the disposition of the petitions, the cost of administering the Program, and recommendations for changes in the Program. 12. Hearing Officers. 1. Qualifications. Hearing officers shall be retired federal court judges, retired state court judges of general jurisdiction or appellate courts or 3 certified mediators. Hearing officers shall be selected from the locales where hearings are to be held and shall be in consultation with the Chief Judge of the United States Court in the District(s) or the Chief Justice of the State from said locations. Employees of the United States government, airline industry or insurance industry shall not be selected as Hearing Officers. 2. Authority of Hearing Officers. Hearing Officers are authorized to: a) Conduct formal hearings with respect to, and adjudicate claims in accordance with, these regulations and the Act; b) Administer oaths and examine witnesses; c) Compel the production of documents and appearance of witnesses by issuance of a subpoena; d) Prepare documents for the signature of the parties; e) Issue decisions and orders with respect to claims as provided in this part; and f) Do all other things necessary to enable him or her to discharge the duties of the office. A Hearing Officer may be removed by the Special Master because of incompetence, misconduct, neglect of duty or for other good cause shown. No Hearing Officer shall conduct any proceedings in a claim in which he or she is prejudiced or partial, or where he or she has any interest in the matter pending for decision. Upon assignment of a Hearing Officer, a Claimant may within 15 days challenge said Hearing Officer setting forth in writing the basis of said challenge. A decision to withdraw from the consideration of a claim shall be within the discretion of the Hearing Officer and reviewable by the Special Master. If the Hearing Officer withdraws, another Hearing Officer shall be designated by the Special Master to complete the adjudication of the claim in a timely manner. No Hearing Officer shall be permitted to appear or act as a representative of a party under this part while such individual is employed as a Hearing Officer. No Hearing Officer shall be permitted at any time to appear or act as a representative 4 in connection with any case or claim in which he or she was personally involved. No Hearing Officer shall act in any claim involving a party that employed such Hearing Officer within one year before the adjudication of such claim. Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this subsection, no Hearing Officer shall be permitted to act in any claim involving a party who is related to the Hearing Officer by consanguinity or affinity within the third degree as determined by the law of the lace such party is domiciled. Any action taken by a Hearing Officer in knowing violation of this paragraph shall be void. 404. Presenting Claims 1. Forms and Contents - All claims must be in writing and submitted on the standard form contained in these regulations. The form must be completed, signed under oath either by a person eligible to file a claim under the Act, by that person's legal guardian or by the personal representative of a decedent and any counsel for the claimant and mailed to . 2. Attorney Referral- Claim forms issued by the Special Master shall include clear and conspicuous statements regarding Claimant rights to an attorney. Forms shall be accompanied by information on how to receive pro bono assistance. 3. Standard Claim Form - Copies of the standard claim form shall be available . 4. Filing - Upon receipt of a claim, the Special Master shall within 14 days review the claim for completeness. If a claim is deemed complete or at the expiration of 14 days, the claim shall be deemed filed. The date of filling shall be recorded by a stamp on the face of the standard form. If the claim is deemed to be incomplete, it shall be promptly returned unfilled to the sender with a statement identifying reasons why the claim does not comply. The claim may be resubmitted after correcting the deficiencies. When claims are filed, the filing shall be promptly acknowledged with a letter identifying the number assigned to the claim and the date the claim was filed. Claims which substantially comply with the requirements of Rule 403.1 shall not be deemed to be incomplete and shall be accepted for filing. 5 5. Single Claim - There may be only one claim for each injury or death. The claim shall identify and be on behalf of persons who are entitled to be beneficiaries of the claim. In the case of a decedent, the claim shall be filed by the personal representative of the decedent on behalf of all persons entitled to receive compensation, by reason of the death of the decedent. 6. Who May File A Claim - The following persons are eligible to file claims for compensation: a) An injured adult person, on behalf of themself and any spouse or children. b) A duly appointed guardian of an injured adult person, on behalf of the injured person and any spouse or children of the injured person. c) A duly appointed guardian of an injured minor, on behalf of the injured child and the parents of the injured child. d) In case of a decedent, a duly appointed personal representative. A personal representative shall act on behalf of any surviving spouse, any children of the decedent, any children of a deceased child of the decedent, parents of the decedent, any dependents of the decedent and the decedent's estate. Personal representatives shall be appointed in accordance with the laws of the decedent's domicile 7. Attorney Representative - A claimant need not be represented by an attorney to file a claim under the Act. a) If the claimant desires to be represented, then the attorney selected by the claimant must be a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state. b) Attorneys on behalf of claimants shall attest that he/she is a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state and is authorized to represent the claimant. c) It shall be the ethical obligation of any attorney who represents a victim of the September 11th terrorist attacks to advise said person(s) of the compensation available under the Act and the availability of any pro bono program. 6 8. Immigration Status Information -- Any information concerning the immigration status of a claimant or a dependent of a Claimant shall not be disclosed to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. 405. Hearings. 1. Time of Hearings. Hearings must be scheduled and completed within 120 days of the date a claim is filed. The claimant may extend said time or may waive the right to a hearing by making a written request to the Hearing Officer. Any such request must be signed by the Claimant. 2. Notice of Hearing. The Hearing Officer shall provide to the Claimants at least 10 days written notice of the time and place at which the hearing will be held. 3. Commencement of 120-day Hearing Period. The 120-day period for review and determination of a claim shall commence upon the date that the claim is deemed filed. 4. Time and Place of Hearing. Hearings shall be scheduled and held, to the extent practical, at a place within 50 miles of the Claimant's residence unless an alternative location is required by the Claimant. At the request of the Claimant, the Hearing Officer shall provide for an opportunity to conduct a hearing via telephone, Internet or video conferencing. 5. Parties to Proceedings. The following persons shall be parties to the proceedings on claims; (a) the claimant any authorized representative and (b) the government acting by and through authorized personnel of the Department of Justice. Parties may waive their right to appear. 6. Burden of Proof. The burden of proving a fact alleged shall rest with the party making the allegation. The standard of proof shall be a preponderance of the evidence. Proof by a preponderance of the evidence means that it is more likely than not that the proposition to be proved is true. 7. Affidavits. Written affidavits or declarations, subject to penalty for perjury, will be accepted as evidence of employment history, earnings, loss of services, and survivor relationships. 8. Rules of Evidence. The Hearing Officer is not bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence, or by technical or formal rules of procedure. The Hearing Officer shall conduct the hearing in such a manner as to best ascertain the rights of the Claimant and fulfill the purposes of the Act. 7 9. Documentary Evidence. A Claimant may submit either the original or a clear readable copy of any document. The Hearing Officer may require the submission of an original document, if an original exists, if necessary to a decision on the claim. 10. Witness. Witnesses at the hearing shall testify under oath or affirmation. The Hearing Officer and the parties may question witnesses with respect to any matters relevant and material to any contested issue. 11. Record of Hearing. All hearings shall be open to the public and shall be mechanically or stenographically reported. All evidence upon which the Hearing Officer relies for decision shall be contained in the transcript of testimony, either directly or by appropriate reference. All medical reports, exhibits, and any other pertinent document or record, either in whole or in material part, introduced as evidence, shall be marked for identification and incorporated into the record. 12. Submission of Insufficient Evidence. In the event a Claimant submits insufficient evidence regarding any matter, the Hearing Officer shall inform the Claimant what further evidence is necessary and request that such evidence be submitted within a specified reasonable time which may, upon request by the Claimant, be extended for good cause. 406. Governing Law. To provide consistent and uniform application of the Act to all persons filing a claim, the following rules shall apply in rendering decisions on claims: 1. Physical Harm. Claimants suffering physical harm due to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, shall be entitled to recover full economic and non-economic loss as follows: a) Economic loss means any pecuniary loss of a Claimant including but not limited to loss of earnings or other employment benefits, loss of earning capacity, medical expense loss, experienced in the past or to be experienced in the future and loss to a Claimant's surviving spouse and children of services, support, consortium and affection and the loss to a minor Claimant's parents of services, support, companionship and affection experienced in the past or to be experienced in the future. b) Non-economic loss means loss to the Claimant due to physical and emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, any injury to reputation, and any other losses authorized by the Act, experienced in the past or to be experienced in the future, including any aggravation of an existing disease or physical defect. 8 2. Wrongful Death. Personal representatives of decedents shall be entitled to recover full economic and non-economic loss resulting from a decedent's death due to the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001 as follows: a) On behalf of a decedent's surviving spouse, decedent's children, children of any deceased child of the decedent and parents of the decedent, the economic and non-economic loss each has suffered including all monies the decedent would have spent or given to each person for such items as shelter, food, clothing, medical care, education, entertainment, gifts and recreation during the normal life expectancy of the decedent; the pecuniary value of the services, society and comfort that the decedent would have provided to each person, including such elements as work around the home, transportation and provision of physical comforts and services; the loss of decedent's companionship and protection and the survivor's mental pain and suffering as a result of the decedent's injury and death, suffered in the past and reasonably expected to be suffered in the in the future. b) On behalf of any relative by blood or marriage who is dependent upon the decedent for support or services and any person who resided in the household of the decedent at the time of the death who was dependent upon the decedent, the support or services that the decedent would have provided to each such dependent during the decedent's life expectancy. c) On behalf of the decedent's estate, the costs of administration of the estate and any medical, funeral or other last expenses of the decedent, hedonic damages; the estate's loss of net accumulations, which is that part of the decedent's after paying his personal expenses and monies for the support of his survivors, would have left as part of the estate if he had lived his normal life expectancy; and compensation for any conscious mental pain and suffering suffered by the decedent as a result of the terrorist acts until the time of the decedent's death. 3. Claimants shall be entitled to recover as damages the reasonable and fair costs of presenting their claims to the Fund and their evidence at any hearing. 407. Presumptions. Presumptions shall be rebuttable upon proof that the fact is different than the presumed fact. Unless the Hearings Officer finds that a preponderance of the evidence shows a fact to be different, the following presumptions shall apply to determining claims: 1. It shall be presumed that the life expectancy of an individual is as set forth in the Life Tables, Vital Statistics of the United States 1998, published by the National Center of Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 9 2. In the absence of any expert evidence to the contrary, it shall be presumed that the work-life expectancy of an individual is 65 years. 3. In the absence of any expert evidence to the contrary, it shall be presumed that the loss earnings of a decedent is the sum of the last 12 months of a decedent's earning times the remaining work life expectancy of the decedent. 408. Decisions. 1. Form and Contents of Decisions. Claim decisions shall be in writing and shall contain the names of the parties, the names of all beneficiaries of the decision, any finding of fact or conclusion of law, the damage due each claimant or beneficiary of a claim and any amounts being deducted as a collateral source, together with the reasons therefore. Decisions shall be based on the record before the Hearing Officer. 2. Issuance of Decision. All decisions shall be made not later than 10 days after the termination of the hearing and must be promptly furnished to the Claimant and any attorney representative by the quickest means practical. Upon request or agreement of the Claimant, the hearing can be continued to a time certain. 3. Deduction of Collateral Sources. After determination of the damages due any Claimant or beneficiary of a claim, the Hearing Officer shall determine whether any collateral sources are applicable to the determined damages and deduct from said damages the net present value of the collateral source (after reduction for any cost to the claimant or beneficiary). Except for life insurance, collateral sources which do not duplicate any item of economic loss should not be deducted. As to any collateral source as to which there is a right of subrogation, said amounts shall not be deducted from the determined damages. 4. Review of Hearing Officer Decisions. Within ten days of the date of a decision the Claimant may request review of the decision by the Special Master. Such a request must be accompanied by a written extension of applicable time limits to allow a reasonable time for review. The review shall be conducted by the Special Master based on the record before the Hearing Officer. a) A decision of the Hearing Officer that is not supported by substantial evidence, that incorrectly applies the law or these regulations or that is otherwise contrary to the law shall be reversed and remanded for further proceeding. 10 b) In the event a claim is remanded for further review, the decision shall be entered not later than 120 days from the date of remand. c) There shall be no further review. 5. Authority to Compromise and Settle. The Special Master or his or her designee is delegated authority to enter into a compromise or settlement of any claim under the Act either before or after a decision has been made. 409. Payment of Benefits. 1. Payees. Benefits shall be paid, as appropriate, to each beneficiary of a claim as set forth in the decision. The benefits may be paid directly to a claimant or beneficiary or to a revocable living trust created by the Claimant or on behalf of a beneficiary, or, at the direction of a court, to a trust described in 42 U.S.C. & 1496p(d)(4)(A). A Hearing officer may require that a legal guardian or representative be appointed to receive payment on behalf of any minor child or person who is mentally incompetent. 2. Subrogation Liens Barred. There shall be no right of subrogation on behalf of a collateral source payee that is deducted from a Claimant's award. To the extent that any state or federal law allows a lien to be placed or filed on behalf of any collateral source payor, such a lien is barred. If there is a determination under applicable law that a collateral source payor has the right to a lien and subrogation against a claim under the Act, then any amounts paid or payable from said payor shall not be deemed a "collateral source" under the Act. 3. Periodic Payments. At the election of any Claimant or beneficiary, amounts payable to said Claimant or beneficiary pursuant to a decision under the Act may be received as a periodic payment described in 26 U.S.C. 104 (a)(2), funded by an annuity the cost of which shall be such amount. Any such election shall be made by providing notice thereof to the Hearing Officer prior to the date of the decision. If an amount is payable in periodic payments funded by an annuity, then the Special Master may transfer, in a qualified assignment, the obligation to make such periodic payments, see 26 U.S.C, 130. The claimant or beneficiary shall provide to the Special Master or the Hearing Officer, within 60 days following issuance of the written notice under section 405(b)(3), the name of the assignee to whom a qualified assignment is to be made and the documents required to make the qualified assignment in a form acceptable to the Special Master. 4. Tax Treatment of Amounts Paid From The Fund. Amounts paid from the Fund to, or on behalf of, Claimants or beneficiaries upon a decision under the Act are compensation (other than punitive damages) paid on account of personal injury or sickness, in a case involving physical injury. For United States federal income tax purposes, such amounts are excludable from the gross income of the recipients. See 26 U.S.C. 104(a)(2). 6. Reports to Congress. The Attorney General shall report annually to the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on claims paid under the Act, stating the name of each Claimant, beneficiary and the amount awarded. 410. Privacy Policy. a) The Special Master shall adopt and enforce a privacy policy consistent with Department of Justice privacy policy to ensure that an documents, testimony, reports or other information utilized during the claim process are afforded protection against improper disclosure. b) The Special Master shall prominently display its privacy policy on the claim form and on all official publications that provide information concerning the claim process. c) The Special Master shall prominently display its privacy policy on the website. 411. Notice of Program to Potential Litigants. The Department of Justice shall monitor the federal civil court docket for actions brought by victims in connection with the September 11th airline crashes and inform the Special Master of any claims that have been brought or are brought within 90 days after the date on which these regulations are promulgated. When the Special Master receives this information, it shall immediately notify any and all plaintiffs, by first class mail, of their rights to claim benefits under the program if they withdraw from such action within 90 days after the date on which these regulations are promulgated. 1. Public Notice of Program. The Special Master shall immediately develop and implement a comprehensive program to inform the public about the Victim Compensation Fund and their rights thereto. In developing and implementing this program, the Special Master shall produce printed informational material for the se of potential Claimants. This informational material will explain to the public their rights to compensation under the program and will inform persons as to the procedures necessary to file a claim. The informational material shall also inform potential claimants of any available pro bono programs. 12 The Special Master shall send written notice immediately to all persons and/or the families of persons identified as injured, missing or dead by the Attorney General as a result of the September 11, 2001 airline crashes. This notice shall inform persons as to their rights to compensation under the Fund and inform persons as to the procedures necessary to file a claim. The Special Master shall send to each of these persons copies of all informational materials on the program immediately upon availability. The Special Master shall move immediately to establish a "1-800" telephone Number and website to receive requests form potential Claimants for informational material and claim forms. The Special Master shall purchase sufficient advertising in both print and media in the New York, New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Washington, D.C. media markets to inform the public about the availability of compensation and the process for filing claim. The Special Master shall take whatever additional steps it deems appropriate to publicize the availability of compensation for eligible Claimants. 13 September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-10-25 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 dojW000787.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. 2001-10-25 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, November 28, 2001 1:05 PM Re: September 11 Victim Compensation Program November 28, 2001 Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Civil Division Main Building, Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Mr. Zwick, In response to the Justice Departments call for public comment on September 11 Victim Compensation Program. I urge the Department of Justice to include among relatives eligible for compensation those who lost their life partners or de facto parents or children, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status. It is my belief that to not include these people would be like a slap in the face to these grieving families. Times are changing and we must all stand and support each other during this difficult time regardless of the gender that makes up these loving families. Sincerely, Individual Comment Jamaica Plain, MA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-28 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 dojA000075.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. 2001-11-28 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 29, 2001 2:18 AM Support Equal Access to Crisis Relief Benefits for Surviving Gay and Lesbian Partners December 29, 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 Madison, WI September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-29 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 dojN001166.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. 2001-12-29 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 San Francisco, CA 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 dojA005110.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. Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:09 AM Victims Compensation Comments While I agree the nation and in particular the people in Manhattan suffered a great tragedy on September 11th: I do not feel the US Government needs to play insurance carrier in this or other incidents. By doing so, the Government seems to be claiming liability for the incident. The threashold for declaring any incident a federal emergency is getting pushed lower and lower: why should citizens buy insurance when in a great deal of cases FEMA or congress is going to come running in with a basket of cash. Congress, in a clear attempt to simply get re-elected and remain in their jobs, passed a law that sets a very terrible precident. This also seems to tell victims of previous incidents that they weren't quite as important and the people of Manhattan. And future victims will expect ever greater levels of compensation. These compensation levels, along with the money FEMA (and other non-government agencies) is throwing at the victims has gone way overboard. And what are the surviors doing: complaining that what the governement is offering is "a disgrace". Why should the government make ANY of the surviors millionaires? I have absolutly no FINACIAL sympathy for a person who was making $500,000 a year and didn't have proper insurance coverage to take care of his/her family. And yet that is what many of the surviors want: all their insurance money AND the millions the compensation fund can provide. I can only hope (and I really hold out LITTLE hope) that Congress and the President can learn from this MISTAKE and pull back from this cycle of declaring almost everything a national disaster and therefore being SO willing to throw tax payer money AT people. Thank you for this opportunity to voice my opinion, Individual Comment St Louis Mo September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-22 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 dojN002239.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. 2002-01-22 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 12:58 PM I am appalled! I am appalled to hear that gay people are being discriminated against in the sharing of the victim benefits of loved ones who died on September 11th. This is totally unacceptable. There were many gay heroes among those who died including and their partners deserve to be treated equally with everyone else. It is bad enough that the fund is not really distributing it equally even among other victims...and of course we know that some of the families of illegal aliens who died who cleaned the towers for those who worked there will probably get nothing. If there is going to be compensation... it should be fair and equitable. Stop playing games...it only proves to be divicive in the end! And if anything should have brought people together it would be something like this happening! As a tax payer I demand that gay people be treated as equal sufferers in this tragedy. Their grief is not diminished by their status as gay people! And this country should not treat them as less! sincerely 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 dojR000436.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. Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office Management Programs U.S. Department of Justice Main Building Room 3140 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530 On September 11, 2001 our government failed to protect the safety of American citizens and subsequently attempted to somewhat compensate terror victims and their families by establishing the Victim's Compensation Fund. The following comments Reflect our dissatisfaction with the Fund as it stands in January, 2002 and the hope that our thoughts would be incorporated into the final proposal. a. Including pensions of the deceased victims as "collateral sources" against settlement offered would leave most civil servants' families with little or no wrongful death compensation. Civil servants are typically on lower wage scales than those in private industry, but take pride in fulfilling vital services to their communities. As part of their overall compensation packages, they work for their pensions during their active duty so that they can rest assured they and/or their families will be adequately provided for when their active duty ends. As families/friends of civil servants we view the inclusion of pension benefits as collateral sources as clear discrimination against blue-collar workers. b. Including life insurance policies as "collateral sources" discriminates against those who thoughtfully and responsively provided for their families. c. Valuing the lives of our loved ones on a demographic chart is an insult to the dead. All human lives are precious and none are worth more than others, no matter how long the deceased lived or what his/her arbitrary determined "earnings potential" was. d. Capping emotional pain and suffering at $250,000 is ridiculously low articularly in comparison to court-determined awards in similar cases. We are not seeking funds to replace the lives of our loved ones. We instead wish the federal government and the airlines to admit their careless roles in the wrongful death of Americans. We note that our U.S. constitution has been violated in numerous ways, most importantly by the fact that our Congress passed a law reducing the airlines' liabilities after (ex post facto) the events of September 11, 2001, thus limiting our potential to gain suitable settlements in traditional court proceedings. Further, we are discouraged to know that an unelected and unaccountable official will determine our compensation. We note that Mr. Feinberg has unsuitable historical record in similar proceedings such as the "Agent Orange" cases in which he neglected to fairly compensate Vietnam War Veterans. In this horrible time of grief and despair, our government has further victimized our families by infringing upon our civil rights. The government and media point to charity to compensate our families, yet fail to realize that such "awards" are often unequitable, poorly administered, and were not intended to take the place of negligent punitive damages. We understand the long, uphill battle involved in changing a law and do not shy away from it. However, such proceedings would cause additional and prolonged pain to our traumatized families. At this time, we simply request that the Special Master take into account our above comments a-d Sincerely, Family/Friend of 9/11 Victim CC: Attorney General John Ashcroft U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20530-0001 re: Victims Compensation Fund President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 re: Victims Compensation Fund Committee on Judiciary 2138 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 re: Victims Compensation Fund September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-29 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 dojP000625.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. 2002-03-29 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 05, 2001 2:23 PM Victim Compensation Fund No. This is best covered under FEMA rules and personal insurance coverage. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-05 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 dojW000033.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. 2001-11-05 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 1:19 PM Victim Benefits for Sept 11 Tragedy Dear Mr. Zwick, I am writing in response to the Department of Justice'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 one. I urge the Department of Justice to honor these bonds by treating the families of gay and lesbian victims as you would any other. Thank you. Sincerely, Individual Comment Webster, 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 dojA000881.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. Thursday, December 13, 2001 10:15 PM Protect Traditional Marriage Mr. Kenneth Zwick Office of Management Programs Department of Justice Washington. DC Dear Mr. Zwick: I want to express my opposition to any effort by the federal government to provide 9-11 victim compensation funds to "domestic partners" of unmarried survivors of the terrorist attack upon our nation. Funds disbursed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 should only go to the surviving family members of those who died on 9-11. Funds must go to the widows, widowers, orphans, and other blood-related or adopted members of the family--not to unmarried sexual partners of those who died. To provide funds to "domestic partners" is to undermine the traditional definition of marriage and family to include any number of sexual liaisons between same-sex or opposite-sex unmarried couples. Many homosexuals and swinging heterosexuals, for example, engage in sex with multiple partners. Do we provide funds to each of the sexual partners? Where do we draw the line on how many "domestic partners" a person may have?Homosexual activists are exploiting the 9-11 tragedy by asking the federal government to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "family" under the law. In fact, homosexual activist &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp , writing in Out magazine has openly called for the subversion of the concept of marriage between a man and a woman. He has urged homosexuals to fight for the legalization of homosexual marriages and once legalized to "redefine the institution of marriage completely . . . . to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution. . . . The most subversive action lesbians and gays can under take--and one that would perhaps benefit all of society--is to transform the notion of 'family' entirely." If the DOJ provides funds to "domestic partners," it will be helping &nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp accomplish his goal: That of redefining marriage and altering what he calls an "archaic institution." We also oppose September 11th Funds going to the estates of the deceased instead of to their surviving family members. No one can know for certain where these funds will end up if they are deposited in the estate of a person who has died. The person may have willed his estate to a terrorist, racial hate group, or even to an organization like the North American Man-Boy Love Association. No one will know unless each person's will is examined by a DOJ lawyer. The money should go to the surviving family members of the deceased, not to the estate or to the surviving "domestic partner." Individual Comment Houghton, MI 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 dojA001667.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. Saturday, January 26, 2002 9:10 PM New Vote.com votes as of 09:10 PM EST on January 26th, 2002 Dear September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, Vote.com is the Internet's most popular voting site. Millions of people regularly express their opinions and - in just one click - automatically send their views to important decision makers like you. Here are the latest votes on the question, SHOULD FAMILIES OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO DIED ON 9-11 GET MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL VICTIMS' FUND?: YES: 81 votes NO: 942 votes Group Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-01-26 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 dojP000186.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. 2002-01-26 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. Monday, March 18, 2002 12:46 PM gay discrimination Please, please, please do not discriminate against the partners and / or survivors of gay people who lost their lives on September 11. These people deserve compensation just as much as anyone else. This is the year 2002. Please get with the times. Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2002-03-18 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 dojR001905.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. 2002-03-18 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. Thursday, December 20, 2001 1:11 AM Fair benefits for all December 20, 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 Vewntura, CA September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-12-20 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 dojA004075.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. 2001-12-20 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 04, 2001 8:25 PM September 11 Victim Compensation Fund To: Kenneth L. Zwick, Director Office of Management Programs, Civil Division U.S. Department of Justice 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 Milton, MA 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 dojA000549.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