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. November 21, 2001 Dear Mr. Attorney General, As the elected legislator representing thousands of survivors of the September 11th attacks and their families, I have a great interest in ensuring that they receive prompt and adequate financial payment which would, in part, compensate them for their incomprehensible losses. I am writing to urge you to include all of those who suffered this grievous emotional loss and significant financial loss by employing the broadest possible interpretation of the phrases "physical harm," "immediate aftermath" and "collateral source." Proper application of these phrases, as used in this Act, is critical to ensure that eligible survivors and family members receive just compensation and appropriate awards. Specifically, "physical harm" should include those suffering from post-traumatic disorders due to the events of September 11th, for example, difficulty performing daily tasks and/or normal functions. It is also critical to ensure that compensation is paid for harm that arises or is discovered after a claim is filed or after the time frame for filing a claim has passed. Survivors, rescue and recovery workers, and other persons in New York City and elsewhere inhaled dangerous levels of toxic substances on September 11th and after. The Attorney General's regulations must assure that harm resulting from these exposures is fully compensable under the Act. "Immediate aftermath" must be viewed in a broad geographic sense, as well. For example, persons in other parts of Manhattan and in other New York communities may have been miles away from "ground zero," yet suffered physical harm from toxic plumes that were emitted. The "collateral source" category described in the act must be narrowly drawn so as not to punish survivors and family members who received assistance from charitable organizations. "Collateral source" should only include funds received through a contract, an enforceable agreement, or a protected interest in a government entitlement, such as a social security benefit. Further, compensation under the Act should be available without regard to the immigration status of the victim, survivor or family member. The death and destruction wrought by these tragic events did not discriminate based on age, gender, occupation or legal status. All those injured and their survivors and family members should be compensated. The Attorney General's regulation should provide that no person who elects to seek compensation under the Act will be punished for that election. Domestic partners and family members of domestic partners should receive compensation in the same manner as the spouses and children of married partners. The grief suffered by domestic partners and their family members is no less than that suffered by traditional families; it should be compensated no less. In this instance I urge you to follow the actions of Governor Pataki in his Executive Order relating to Crime Victim Awards from the events of September 11th. A waiver of rights occurs very early in the application process and before the statute of limitations may have expired for the commencement of a civil action. As a result, those claimants who suffered damages undiscovered at the time of filing a claim must have the opportunity to withdraw their claim and rescind such a waiver. Allowing 60 days from the time of a filed claim for the rescission of a waiver would balance fairness with finality. In addition, to facilitate the application process and avoid undue burden on the applicants, claimants should be asked to submit no more documentation than is necessary to demonstrate eligibility. Where a governmental entity has recognized a death or injury, that recognition should be accepted under the Act without requiring additional proof. Also, while the Act does not expressly address the issue, the Attorney General's regulations should make clear that a claimant may administratively appeal any determination of the Special Master. All forms and informational brochures should include a toll-free telephone number applicants may call for assistance. Telephone assistance should be available in all appropriate languages, in recognition of the wonderful diversity of New York City. To help ensure that all persons eligible for compensation under the Act learn of the compensation fund, the Attorney General should develop a public outreach and advertising campaign. Advertisements should contain objective information and offer a toll-free telephone number. Advertising should not be a forum for campaign-style rhetoric or the promotion of one or more public officials. The clear intent of the Act is to assure generous compensation for survivors and family members of the victims of these heinous attacks. Compensation should include lost wages for the anticipated lifespan of the deceased, college expenses for children, lifetime medical insurance and coverage for ongoing medical expenses. Economic loss should include loss of earnings or other benefits related to employment, medical expense loss, replacement services loss, loss due to death, burial costs and loss of business or employment opportunities. The Attorney General's regulations should also assure compensation for non-economic losses, including physical and emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, mental anguish, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of society and companionship and injury to reputation. The Act passed by Congress was intended to compensate the many survivors of the terrible attacks of September 11th. I urge you to broadly define the criteria set forth in the legislation, to ensure that those who were particularly victimized by the deaths of people close to them in the attacks on September 11th can receive prompt and adequate compensation. Sincerely, Individual Comment September 11 Email: Date The local time and date when the message was written. 2001-11-21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource dojW000644.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. 2001-11-21