GOLDMAN, NADLER INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE PREVIOUSLY DENIED COMPENSATION FOR 9/11 FAMILIES

GOLDMAN, NADLER INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE PREVIOUSLY DENIED COMPENSATION FOR 9/11 FAMILIES 

Legislation Would Newly Make 150 9/11 Families Eligible For Compensation 

Families May Be Eligible to Receive An Average Of $295,000

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representatives Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Jerry Nadler (NY-12) introduced the No 9/11 Family Left Behind Act, legislation that would ensure that 9/11 victims’ families who were previously prevented from receiving financial compensation can finally get it. Specifically, the bill would amend the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism (USVSST) Act to ensure that otherwise eligible 9/11 victims’ families who missed certain arbitrary deadlines and were therefore excluded from past distributions receive a lump-sum catch-up payment from the program. 

“As we approach the 25th anniversary of the horrific September 11th attacks, our obligation to the victims and their families has not diminished,” said Rep. Goldman. “The No 9/11 Family Left Behind Act would ensure that every family who lost a loved one that day remains eligible for compensation, including those excluded in recent years due to missed deadlines. These families, who suffered so much on that tragic day, deserve our unwavering support and I'm proud to introduce this act to show they will always have it.”

“Congress has an enduring obligation to support the victims of the September 11th attacks and their families. We should not let bureaucratic hurdles stand in the way of justice. Although nothing can make up for twenty-five years of missed birthdays, anniversaries, and memories for those who lost loved ones on 9/11, we must do all we can for the people whose lives were changed forever that day,” said Rep Nadler. 

The United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (USVSST Fund) is a federal program administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The program compensates Americans who are victims of state sponsored terrorism by distributing funds from criminal and civil penalties imposed on sanctioned countries and entities to victims and their families. When victims or their families win lawsuits against foreign governments but cannot realistically collect the money, the U.S. government steps in to provide compensation that is funded by penalties and fines against certain sanctioned countries or forfeited assets.

While the USVSST Fund is meant to provide critical relief to victims, arbitrary deadlines have inadvertently locked out certain otherwise eligible claimants – including victims of the 2001 9/11 attacks and their families. For instance, initially, 9/11 victims’ estates, spouses, and dependents were excluded from compensation via the Fund until Congress expanded eligibility in 2019, allowing them to receive payments for the first time in a third round of distributions. 

However, that expansion of eligibility was administered with the fixed application deadline of February 19, 2020, and subsequent legislation relied on that same deadline when determining eligibility for additional lump-sum catch-up payments. This created an immediate conflict among otherwise eligible claimants because those who missed the 2020 deadline due to lack of notice, hardship, or any other sort of delay were no longer eligible for compensation – despite meeting the eligible criteria to qualify for payment. It is estimated that approximately 150 9/11 families, or about 400-500 claimants, including spouses and dependents, would be eligible for compensation if the Fund were to be authorized for additional catch-up payments.

Specifically, the No 9/11 Family Left Behind Act of 2026:

• Creates a new category of catch-up payment eligibility
• Directs the USVSST Special Master to provide additional payments to claimants who:
  • Have a qualifying terrorism judgment
  • Meet the statutory eligibility criteria for compensation
  • Did not receive the earlier catch-up payment because they missed the prior deadline.
• Requires that within 90 days of enactment, the Special Master notify people who qualify and explain how they can submit their claim
• Payments must be made within 90 days after eligibility is confirmed

“When Congress passed the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act, I believed it would finally correct years of unequal treatment among 9/11 families. Instead, the law created a new harsh inequity among 9/11 widows and children since its very inception. As originally enacted, the law’s eligibility provisions excluded some 9/11 spouses and children, whose court judgments were entered after February 2020, thereby leaving some of us without access to substantial benefits that others who suffered the same exact loss on 9/11/01 were able to receive. Unlike the vast majority of 9/11 widows, the loss of my husband and child’s father was deemed worthless by a law curiously beginning with the word Fairness,” said Patricia Kavanagh Edwards, whose late husband Dennis Michael Edwards was killed in the World Trade Center attacks. Thanks to the dedication and persistence of Congressman Goldman, and support of Congressman Nadler, the “No 9/11 Family Left Behind Act of 2026” will ensure that those 9/11 families wrongly excluded are treated fairly, equally and that the law better reflects its intended purpose of supporting ALL those who continue to bear the lasting consequences of the September 11 attacks. Their efforts offer renewed hope to many 9/11 families who have spent years seeking equal treatment under the law.

"My siblings and I were not eligible for the earlier catch up payment. That exclusion felt arbitrary and hurtful, as though our loss was not significant enough to receive the same recognition that others received. This act would validate our loss and our struggles, and provide life-changing support that could begin to fill the financial gap that we experience because of 9/11," said Capt. Jordan Giordano, US Army Medical Corps, whose father John Giordano died on 9/11. 

“My father, William Minardi was killed in the 9/11 attacks. Through no fault of our own, my family and I were cut out of the “Fairness” for 9/11 Families Act, because we did not apply to the program by February 2020, even though the Fairness Act wasn’t passed until three years later, said Robert Mindardi. "We have been asking Congress for years to fix this inequity. It has been difficult to be treated as “lesser” than other families whose loved ones were killed in the 9/11 attacks. Words cannot express my gratitude to House Member Daniel Goldman for leading this effort to make sure that no child or spouse of a 9/11 victim is left behind but this will have to do for now!”

My father died on 9/11. I was 11 at the time and the loss changed everything for our family. I am now 36, a single mother running my own small business while trying to raise my son," said Jessica Giordano, whose father John Giordano died on 9/11. "The No 9/11 Family Left Behind Act of 2026 would finally correct a painful unfairness. Those of us who missed a filing deadline through no fault of our own have lived with the consequences of that technicality for far too long. A catch‑up payment would provide essential relief that could help my business grow, reduce the financial strain on my family, and let me plan instead of just surviving."

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