[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5576-5577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01622]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1105-0092]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested; Reinstatement With Change of a Previously Approved 
Collection; September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Claimant 
Eligibility and Compensation Form

AGENCY: Civil Division, Department of Justice.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Civil Division, Department of Justice (DOJ), will be 
submitting the following information collection request to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
March 29, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have additional comments 
especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, 
suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact 
Kimberly Brown, Director of Operations, September 11th Victim 
Compensation Fund, 1100 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20531 (phone: 1-
855-885-1555; email: [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written comments and suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of 
information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of 
the following four points:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Bureau of Justice 
Statistics, including whether the information will have practical 
utility;
--Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
--Evaluate whether and if so how the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected can be enhanced; and
--Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

    Abstract: The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) 
provides compensation to any individual (or a personal representative 
of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a 
result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, 
or the debris removal efforts that took place in the immediate 
aftermath of those crashes. Eligibility and Compensation information 
are collected through the claim form based on the requirements of the 
VCF's authorizing statutes. The original September 11th Victim 
Compensation Fund operated from 2001-2004. The James Zadroga 9/11 
Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (Zadroga Act) was signed in 2011. 
Title II of the Zadroga Act reactivated the VCF, which opened in 
October 2011 and was initially authorized to operate for five years. In 
December 2015, the Zadroga Act was reauthorized for five years, until 
December 18, 2020. The signing of the ``Never Forget the Heroes, James 
Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the 
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act'' in July 2019, fully 
funded the VCF to pay all eligible claims and extended the claim filing 
deadline to October 1, 2090. The VCF will use the information collected 
through the Eligibility and Compensation Form to determine a claimant's 
eligibility for an award, and if so, the amount of compensation the 
claimant will be awarded. The Eligibility section seeks the information 
required by the Zadroga Act to determine whether a claimant is eligible 
for the Fund, including information related to: participation in 
lawsuits related to September 11, 2001; presence at a 9/11 crash site 
between September 11, 2001 and May 30, 2002; and physical harm suffered 
as a result of the air crashes and/or debris removal. The Compensation 
section seeks the information required by the Zadroga Act to determine 
the amount of compensation for which the claimant is eligible. 
Specifically, the section seeks information regarding the out-of-pocket 
losses (including medical expenses) incurred by the claimant that are 
attributable to the 9/11 air crashes or debris removal; the claimant's 
pain and suffering, loss of earnings and/or replacement services that 
are attributable to the 9/11 air crashes or debris removal; and any 
collateral source payments (such as insurance payments) that the 
claimant received as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes 
of September 11, 2001 or debris removal efforts.

[[Page 5577]]

Overview of This Information Collection

    1. Type of Information Collection: Reinstatement with change of a 
previously approved collection.
    2. The Title of the Form/Collection: September 11th Victim 
Compensation Fund Claim Form.
    3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: OMB No. 1105-0092/September 
11th Victim Compensation Fund, Department of Justice.
    4. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as the obligation to respond: Affected Public: Any individual (or 
a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered 
physical harm or was killed as a result of the terrorist-related 
aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, or the debris removal efforts 
that took place in the immediate aftermath of those crashes. The 
obligation to respond is required to receive an award from the 
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
    5. An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of 
time estimated for an average respondent to respond: It is estimated 
that 21,000 respondents will complete the form (total estimate for the 
time period June 2024 through June 2027) in an average of 8 hours.
    6. An estimate of the total annual burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The estimated public burden associated with this 
collection is 168,000 hours.
    7. An estimate of the total annual cost burden associated with the 
collection, if applicable: $.

                                                                   Total Burden Hours
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                                                                                                                            Time per
                   Activity                        Number of                   Frequency                 Total annual       response       Total annual
                                                  respondents                                             responses         (hours)       burden (hours)
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September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Claim           21,000   1/annually..........................          21,000                8          168,000
 Form.
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    If additional information is required contact: Darwin Arceo, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W-218, Washington, DC.

    Dated: January 23, 2024.
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2024-01622 Filed 1-26-24; 8:45 am]
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