Tuesday, November 9, 2004 · Last updated 3:02 a.m. PT

$38.1B said paid to those affected by 9/11

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK -- Victims and businesses affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have received $38.1 billion, according to a new study that questions whether the payouts were fair to all victims.

The 173-page report, "Compensation for Losses from the 9/11 Attacks," also criticized the government, and said that it had been ill-equipped to handle the attacks, particularly noting the performance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"The system has raised many questions about equity and fairness that have no obvious answers," Lloyd Dixon, of the Rand Institute for Civil Justice, said in the report.

The study, conducted by the Calif.-based Rand Corporation, a nonprofit research group, considered how much victims and businesses affected by the attacks have been compensated through private and public funding. It also asked who should pay in the case of future terror attacks.

"A better understanding of how the compensation system responded in the aftermath of 9/11 should also help policymakers and stakeholders to develop objectives for compensation in the event of a terrorist attack," Dixon said.

Among the findings:

-Families of police and firefighters were paid more than $4.2 million on average.

-Surviving relatives of civilian victims received an average of $3.1 million in government and charitable awards.

-Insurance companies gave $19.6 billion in payouts - $7.5 billion for property damage alone. Also, $210 million in government and private funds was spent to help people traumatized by the attacks.

The study included some of the $20 billion pledge that President Bush made to help rebuild New York City, as well as the federal Victim Compensation Fund.