About the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund


The Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act (the “Act”), 34 U.S.C. § 20144, as amended, provides for the establishment and administration of the USVSST Fund to provide compensation to certain U.S. persons who were injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism. Mary Patrice Brown serves as the Special Master of the USVSST Fund.

The USVSST Fund may compensate eligible United States persons who:

  • hold a final judgment issued by a United States district court awarding the applicant compensatory damages arising from acts of international terrorism for which a foreign state sponsor of terrorism was found not immune from the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act;
  • were taken and held hostage from the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran, during the period beginning November 4, 1979, and ending January 20, 1981, and certain of their spouses and children; or
  • are the personal representative of a deceased individual in those categories.

In general, the Act requires claimants to submit applications not later than 90 days after the date of obtaining a qualifying final judgment.

The USVSST Fund continues to collect qualifying deposits for potential future payment rounds. Victims and their family members can be assured that their claims will be processed promptly, fairly, and transparently. The USVSST Fund updates this website as further information becomes available.


Reminders to Claimants


Claimants must meet all USVSST Fund requirements to receive their allocated payment amounts. This includes curing outstanding deficiencies, if any. There is no guarantee that eligible claimants will receive the full allocated amount, or that payments will be issued immediately. For more information about receiving payments from the USVSST Fund, please see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 4.25 and 8.1-8.14.

All claimants have a continuing obligation to update claim information, including informing the USVSST Fund of any compensation from any source other than this Fund not previously disclosed, as well as significant developments involving the final judgment or other facts affecting eligibility. See Notice to Update Claim Information.