Fund has offered 85 awards to victims' families.NEW YORK (AP) -- The federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund has offered 85 awards to the families of people who died in the attack on the World Trade Center, with an average payment of $1.49 million, a published report said.
Sixty applicants have accepted the awards, 15 have not responded, and 10 have said no and want to appeal, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The fund receives less than two new applications a day, the paper said. A total of 783 people have at least filed partial claims, but the office of the fund's administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, has said fewer than 200 of those are ``substantially complete.''
The application deadline is Dec. 21, 2003.
Several relatives of the 2,795 victims told the Times that they were unhappy with Feinberg's management style, saying he has delayed decisions and has not been forthcoming with information.
Feinberg responded to the complaints by saying, ``I don't see it. I've heard more the other way, that 'we've been treated fairly, he's a man of his word, he's delivered on what he said he would.'''
Feinberg did not immediately return a call for comment.
Families that apply for awards from the fund must waive their rights to sue the airlines and any other entity besides the terrorists. Life insurance, pension plans and other benefits are deducted from the awards.
