Mass. AG In Push for Victims

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

The Massachusetts Attorney General's office is planning a final push this fall to reach all victims of the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak who are eligible for grants of $25,000 to $50,000.
Aides to Maura Healey, the attorney general, say they plan to work with the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston to identify all victims who qualify for grants from a $40 million victims fund allocated from the U.S. Justice Department.
Healey aides said the effort will include obtaining the best available address for any victims who have not yet applied for any of the victim funds.
The allocation to the Healey's office came with the active intervention of U.S. Rep.Mike Bishop, a Michigan Republican whose district was one of the hardest hit in the outbreak. It was caused by fungus riddled steroids shipped to health providers across the country.
The final deadline for applications is Dec. 31 of this year. That deadline has already been extended several times.
The award for most victims will be $25,000 but Healey aides say those who suffered a permanent impairment and the survivors of victims who died as a result of the outbreak can qualify for a second $25,000 grant. The impairment must be verified by a physician.
Stating that outreach will be the priority over the next four months, Healey aides said they were committed to finding every single eligible victim.
The latest round of checks mailed out to victims brought the total distributed to $18 million.
The actual number of victims has never been determined. Nearly 3,000 victims filed for claims in a related bankruptcy.
Federal investigators have stated in court filings that 76 victims died and 778 were sickened in the outbreak caused by contaminated methylprednisolone acetate shipped from the now defunct New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass.
In a related criminal case two NECC officials were found guilty of racketeering and mail fraud charges and are now serving prison sentences.
Information on the application process can be found at https://www.mass.gov/mass-necc-program
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com