dojW000434.xml

dojW000434.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2001-11-21

My husband was a 52 year old employee of for 20 years, and is one of the many employees who is missing at the World Trade Center. Unfortunately, he was on the 101st Floor at the time of the terrorist attack. To say that my two children and I are devastated and are feeling a great loss is to grossly understate our feelings. He was a wonderful husband and a very involved father, and will be greatly missed.

As a result of this horrible tragedy, my family is now in a state of great uncertainty. We have not only lost our husband/father but the sole supporter of our household. I am in the midst of seeking financial relief and have tried to keep abreast of all developments relating to governmental programs currently being discussed. The September 11 Victims' Compensation Fund has been one option that I am eagerly awaiting the details. However, there have been many rumors that have not only upset me but have made me feel like my husband has become a victim a second time. I have heard that Congress is working on a formula in order to figure out the compensation a family will get under this Fund. It is my understanding that a victim's annual compensation and age on September 11th will be determining factors in that formula. It is also my understanding that in the formula the amount of years that one is expected to work is also a critical factor. Lastly, it has been suggested to me that Congress is contemplating using an age that will be less than 65 years old as the baseline for one to retire, and that compensation would not be figured for any years past that. I am of the further understanding that the expected workable years will also vary according to the industry (in our case, that being the brokerage industry). To say that the above factors, in my opinion, are grossly unfair and lacking in justice, once again, understates my feelings.

I'd like to point out that while my husband did work in the brokerage industry, he remained with one company for 20 years as a credit officer. Notwithstanding the fact that there is a large amount of movement within the industry, my husband clearly was an exception. Furthermore, this would indicate that he would have continued to work in this capacity, in the brokerage industry, until he was at least 65 years old. To make a broad generalization that people in the
brokerage industry do not remain in the industry (or with a firm) on a long-term basis would result in a gross injustice and prejudice against those who do not fit the presumed profile. Such a presumption is wrong.

My husband was a healthy 52 year old man, who had every intention of working until he was at least 65 years old. Retirement before 65 was simply not an option for him since financially we were not prepared. All savings towards retirement were made by my husband's contributions
into a 401K plan. The market, however, has been such that my husband's 401K Plan was adversely affected. For these reasons, we could not have afforded retirement at an early age and, therefore, he would have continued to work as a credit officer until 65 years old or older.


I am certain that I am not the only one in this situation. Therefore, since you are now in a position to make decisions that will greatly impact the survival of my family, I ask that you truly represent my family (and, most importantly, my deceased husband) when Congress
puts together the final details for the September 11th Victims' Compensation Fund. It is not my desire to take the litigation route, especially since my family is not in a position to wait for the Courts. I have two kids that need to be taken care of and without a fair
compensation program I will be unable to adequately provide for them. Since my husband was 52 years old, he had at least another 13 years that he would have had to work. My husband's life was cut short by terrorists. Please do not make him a victim again by cutting short the years that he planned to work. He would never have considered
retirement before the age of 65 and I am simply asking that Congress take our situation into consideration when they fine-tune the formula in which they use in determining the compensation that the victims' families receive. It is the only fair and just way to treat this
unfortunate matter. Please do not allow Congress to victimize us again by not providing us with the support that my husband had planned to provide.

I am having a difficult enough time dealing with the loss of my husband, and, in addition, having to deal with the financial problems that I am now faced with is way too much to bear. I ask you to please represent my family in a fair and just manner. Thanking you in advance for your prompt attention.

Individual Comment
Marlboro, NJ

2001-11-21