By Walter F. Roche Jr.
The Massachusetts Attorney General has once again extended the deadline for victims of the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak to apply for a grant from a $40 million fund.
Attorney General Maura Healey announced that victims now have until June 30 to apply for grants. The old deadline was March 1.
According to the announcement only a small fraction of the total, $6.35 million, has been awarded thus far and only about 200 victims have had applications approved.
The funding came from a U.S. Justice Department allotment after U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, a Michigan Republican and other members of Congress called on the federal agency to make the money available from a national fund for crime victims.
In announcing the extension Healey's office urged victims who have not yet applied to fill out the application form. Some 2,000 victims may be eligible, based on the number of victims approved for compensation in unrelated litigation.
NOTICE
Eligible
claimants for these funds are those included in the USAO’s Victim
Notification System. If victims haven’t already been identified by the
USAO, they may still submit an application and will be given an
opportunity to present medical records showing they meet all the
criteria for eligibility. Applications may be submitted online, or hard-copy applications may be requested by calling 617-573-5375.
Maybe they need to send a letter by U.S.Mail to each of the 2000 eligible with a hard copy and a stamped return addressed envelope enclosed. There's been so much money blown away that the cost to do this is insignificant. Maybe they have but it sounds like they need to do it again. Victims must not understand that they have to turn in all the information to yet another agency/fund.
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