The BP oil spill started with the April 20, 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig. The failure of BP Oil to cap the spill promptly resulted in millions of barrels of crude oil being released into Gulf waters and evidence shows that as late as October of 2012, oil was still seeping from the source. Although the full environmental and economic impact of the spill has yet to be determined, we do know that it has devastated the entire Gulf region, affecting nearly every aspect of our local economy.
For the millions of individuals and businesses who have suffered because of the spill, the first round of claims was an exercise in frustration, to say the least. However, on June 4, 2012, a new funding mechanism was implemented and a widely praised final settlement was reached on December 21, 2012:
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Eligibility Rules Extended. The new claims program takes into account the fact that in many cases it is difficult to distinguish between economic damages from the recession and those that occurred because of the spill. Therefore, the rules for eligibility have been expanded, now permitting nearly every type of business, as well as employees and other workers, to submit a claim – in many cases, even if you cannot prove that you were directly impacted by the spill. To make a claim for any economic and/or property loss, all you need to do is meet the geographic and economic tests set forth under the new settlement.
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Obtaining the Balance of Amounts Already Claimed. If you received a Final 60% Payment Offer during the previous GCCF claims process or during the transition period, you can now request the remaining 40%.
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The Deadline. The deadline to submit a claim under the BP Claims program is April 22, 2014, except for commercial fishers seeking compensation under the Seafood Compensation Program (SCP). The SCP deadline is 30 days from the date of the final settlement. If you are seeking compensation under the SCP, you need to get to a lawyer immediately. For all other claims, you have until April of 2014 to submit your claim.
Whether or not you believe that your losses were caused by the spill, there is nothing wrong with having your claim analyzed. Call our law office today for a consultation.
Posted in Personal Injury
Tagged BP Claims Program, final settlement, Florida personal injury attorneys, oil spill, personal injury
The BP oil spill started with the April 20, 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig. The failure of BP Oil to cap the spill promptly resulted in millions of barrels of crude oil being released into Gulf waters and evidence shows that as late as October of 2012, oil was still seeping from the source. Although the full environmental and economic impact of the spill has yet to be determined, we do know that it has devastated the entire Gulf region, affecting nearly every aspect of our local economy.
For the millions of individuals and businesses who have suffered because of the spill, the first round of claims was an exercise in frustration, to say the least. However, on June 4, 2012, a new funding mechanism was implemented and a widely praised final settlement was reached on December 21, 2012:
-
Eligibility Rules Extended. The new claims program takes into account the fact that in many cases it is difficult to distinguish between economic damages from the recession and those that occurred because of the spill. Therefore, the rules for eligibility have been expanded, now permitting nearly every type of business, as well as employees and other workers, to submit a claim – in many cases, even if you cannot prove that you were directly impacted by the spill. To make a claim for any economic and/or property loss, all you need to do is meet the geographic and economic tests set forth under the new settlement.
-
Obtaining the Balance of Amounts Already Claimed. If you received a Final 60% Payment Offer during the previous GCCF claims process or during the transition period, you can now request the remaining 40%.
-
The Deadline. The deadline to submit a claim under the BP Claims program is April 22, 2014, except for commercial fishers seeking compensation under the Seafood Compensation Program (SCP). The SCP deadline is 30 days from the date of the final settlement. If you are seeking compensation under the SCP, you need to get to a lawyer immediately. For all other claims, you have until April of 2014 to submit your claim.
Whether or not you believe that your losses were caused by the spill, there is nothing wrong with having your claim analyzed. Call our law office today for a consultation.
- See more at: http://www.vilesandbeckmanblog.com/blog/recent-changes-to-the-bp-claims-program/#sthash.9LufqyDf.dpuf
