September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, commonly known as the VCF, was a U.S. government fund that was created by an Act of Congress shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The purpose of the fund was to compensate the victims of the attacks and their families with the quid pro quo of their agreement not to file lawsuits against the airline corporations involved, such as American Airlines and United Airlines. The VCF functions similar to the Social Security Administration, in that part of the annual U.S. federal budget is set aside for the specific purpose of paying out victims, although this process is heavily regulated. Medical treatments for several respiratory diseases, including asthma and sleep apnea, as well as for all forms of cancer, are covered by the VCF.

This article is about the US Congress-based 9/11 compensation fund. For the New York-based fund, see September 11th Fund.

Kenneth Feinberg was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to be special master of the fund. He developed the regulations governing the administration of the fund and administered all aspects of the program. Legislation authorizes the fund to disburse a maximum of $7.375 billion, including operational and administrative costs, of U.S. government funds.

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