SEVEN HCV SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION BENEFITS CREATED

The Special Distribution Benefits approved by the Courts are:

• Late claims – a fixed amount of money has been allocated to a dedicated fund for late claims and a Late Claims Benefit Plan has been approved by the courts as described in more detail above.
• Fixed payments – Level 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 fixed payments, the $50,000 fixed payment (1999 dollars) under the Hemophiliac HCV Plan, and fixed payments for the estates of persons who died before 1999 ($50,000, $72,000 or $120,000 in 1999 dollars) have each increased by an amount equal to 8.5% of the 2014 dollar value of these payments.
• Family Member payments – payments to children over 21 years of age and to parents of an approved deceased HCV infected person have increased by $4,600 (1999 dollars).
• Loss of Income (pension benefits compensation) – 10% of loss of income compensation to account for loss of pension benefits to a maximum adjustment of $20,000 annually.
• Loss of Services – increase the maximum number of hours per week which may be compensated from 20 to 22 hours.
• Cost of Care – increase the maximum amount payable per year from $50,000 (1999 dollars) to $60,000 (1999 dollars).
• Out of Pocket Expenses –compensation of $200 in the event a family member(s) accompanies an HCV infected person to an HCV related medical appointment. This payment is $200 regardless of the number of family members attending the appointment and is available only for appointments occurring after August 16, 2016 (date of the final orders/judgment creating the benefit).

All of the benefits described above except for the Out of Pocket medical expense benefit are retroactive (payments will be made to increase previously made payments in line with these HCV Special Distribution Benefits). All payments for Special Distribution Benefits will be indexed to the year of payment.

The Administrator has automatically issued retroactive payments for these Special Distribution Benefits where it could do so. Payments could not however be made where the Administrator did not have current contact information for the recipient or, in some cases, the name and contact information for an executor of the estate. If you or someone in your family has not received an expected payment, or to verify your entitlement for any of these Special Distribution Benefits, please contact the Administrator to ensure it has accurate contact information. Efforts will continue to locate all entitled recipients.

The Administrator’s toll-free number is 1 877 434-0944. The business hours are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.