Press Release
☷Interim September 11th Victim Compensation Fund VCF Special Master Appointed Following Departure of Rupa Bhattacharyya
U.S. Department of Justice ( By Press Release office)
May 02,2022
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The Justice Department announced today the appointment of August E . Flentje as the interim Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund ( VCF ) . Rupa Bhattacharyya resigned as Special Master on April 29 . The VCF was created by Congress to compensate those who suffered personal injuries or died as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11 , 2001 , and the rescue , recovery , and debris removal efforts undertaken in the aftermath of the attacks . “I want to convey my sincere appreciation for Rupa’s 27 years of dedicated public service , ” said Attorney General Merrick B . Garland . “I am especially grateful for her service as Special Master for the September 11th VCF . In her six years as Special Master , Rupa enhanced the efficiency of this vital program , helped it achieve permanent status , and garnered the support of the 9/11 community and Members of Congress . ” Bhattacharyya was appointed to the position of VCF Special Master by the Attorney General in July 2016 . She is a career civil servant who has held numerous leadership positions within the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury . Under Bhattacharyya’s leadership , the VCF has significantly reduced the time it takes to review and decide a claim , and has awarded over $8 billion in compensation to more than 35 , 000 responders and survivors who have become sick or died because of their exposure to 9/11 toxins . Bhattacharyya helmed the program when a bipartisan Congress reauthorized the VCF in 2019 to accept claims until 2090 and appropriated to it such funds as may be necessary to pay all eligible claims , thus ensuring both the program’s financial stability and that it would remain operational to assist victims of the 9/11 terror attacks for decades to come . The Attorney General appointed Flentje as the VCF’s Special Master on an interim basis while a search for a permanent Special Master is conducted . Flentje is a career civil service attorney with the Department’s Civil Division and has managed several Civil Division components for temporary periods , including the Torts Branch , through which the Civil Division has provided administrative oversight of VCF operations . The Department does not expect any interruption in VCF claim review or in the issuance of awards during this interim period . Learn more information on the VCF at: https://www . vcf . gov .
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