“Lost Childhood” Survivor Fund

(From Jewish Family Service, Detroit, Michigan, USA, January 2, 2015)

The basic guidelines are as follows:

• The fund is available beginning January 1, 2015 with no deadline for submitting applications at this time.
• The compensation is a one-time payment of 2,500 Euros.
• A survivor must have been born after January 1, 1928. This is a firm deadline, meaning no exceptions for those born prior to this date.
• The survivor must have been in a camp, ghetto, in hiding or living under false identity, or have been a fetus whose mother lived in a camp, ghetto, in hiding or under false identity.
• Flight cases, including those from the Kindertransport, are not eligible.
• There is no previous compensation restriction, meaning if you are receiving or have received some other compensation it does not preclude you from applying for compensation through the Child Survivor Fund.
• This is not a financially based fund. A survivor’s income and assets are not part of the qualifications for this fund.
• The claimant must be alive to apply. Spouses or heirs of deceased survivors cannot apply.
• There is no fee to apply.

What is happening now?

• The week of 12/29 (this week), Claims Conference is sending out personalized applications to those in their database receiving ongoing compensation (Article 2). We don’t know what the application looks like. It could be a simple, one page form. For those receiving ongoing compensation, they will be asked to sign and date this application and return it to the Claims Conference.
• Following that, or simultaneously, they will be sending applications to others in their database who have received a one-time payment (Hardship Fund, Slave Labor). This group will be asked to sign the application and have it notarized before returning it to the Claims Conference.
• For those who do not receive a form in the mail, there will be blank applications available on the Claims Conference website around mid-January. We will have these at JFS or they can be found on the Claims Conference website, www.claimscon.org.

How is Jewish Family Service helping?

• JFS care managers can help with notarizing forms and assisting claimants with completing applications.
• For those who are able to come into JFS offices, care managers at JFS are setting aside specific days and times beginning the middle of January to be available to either notarize forms, for those who require certification before returning their form, or to complete applications for those who did not receive one from the Claims Conference. The schedule has not yet been finalized but should be available by January 12th at the latest.
• If a survivor is currently working with a JFS care manager, they can contact their care manager beginning the week of January 12th. If the dates/times their care manager has available does not work for them, they can opt to work with another care manager (for this application only) who may be available at a more convenient time.
• If someone is not working with JFS at this time, they should contact local JFS after January 12th.
• JFS care managers will arrange home visits as required. It may take several weeks to accommodate a home visit.