dojR000828.xml

dojR000828.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-03-15

Friday, March 15, 2002 3:55 PM
FEDERAL FUND COMPENSATION FOR THE SELF-INSURED






To: Mr. Kenneth R. Feinberg

Dear Mr. Feinberg;

I saw you on Meet The Press on 3-10-02 discussing compensation for the 9-11 victims. During the discussion the issue of just compensation for the self-insured
was briefly talked about.

Basically, beneficiaries of victims who were privately insured are having the proceeds of those private life insurance policies offset from any benefits they are entitled
to under the federal compensation fund, you are administering. In some cases, the proceeds of the private policies will even prevent some surviving families from
receiving any benefits at all from the federal fund.

Since these survivors are receiving monetary compensation through private insurance equal to or greater than the upper limitations of the federal compensation fund,
this initially seems equitable. However, since this insurance "windfall" to the Federal Fund was generated through the payment (and sacrifice) of private
premiums/monies, I believe to be really equitable in these cases, the Fund should reimburse the survivors for all the premiums paid out (up to the Fund's upper
cap) that secured the private insurance benefits being offset.

Of course this will cost the Federal Fund more money than it would otherwise pay out, but it will cost the Fund far less than if those individuals had not had the
foresight and made the economic sacrifices to privately insure themselves. After all, if these individuals had taken their premium money and spent it on vacations,
expensive cars, Rolex watches, diamond jewelry or just blow it, the Federal Fund would be paying them without any offsets. Even if these individuals had taken
the premium money, invested it wisely, and were now enriched, there would not be any offsets to compensation by the Federal Fund.

The catch here seems to be these individuals bought life insurance with the money. They should not be penalized for using those dollars to buy life insurance, while
those who spent their dollars in other ways are compensated by the Federal Fund without offsets for not spending their dollars for life insurance benefits.

I believe that failure to reimburse these individuals for the premiums they paid (with reasonable interest on their premium payments from policy inception) would in
effect be punishing them for their economic responsibility and foresight. For the Federal Fund to do less would not be equitable, especially in light of the
circumstances and sacrifices involved.

Sincerely,


Individual Comment

2002-03-15