USVSST Fund Update
Round 7: Where It Stands and What Comes Next

What Is the USVSST Fund?

The United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund compensates Americans harmed by state-sponsored terrorism. It's funded from a combination of congressional appropriations and assets seized or forfeited in connection with state sponsors of terrorism.

Unlike the VCF, which was created specifically for 9/11 victims, the USVSST Fund covers victims of multiple terrorism events. But 9/11 families represent the largest eligible group, and the fund has become a critical component of their financial planning.

The 6 Rounds So Far

Since its creation, the USVSST Fund has paid or allocated more than $10 billion across six rounds of payments:

• Rounds 1 to 5: Established the distribution framework and began reaching eligible victims across multiple terrorism events
• Round 6: Distributions began in January 2026, covering nearly 22,000 eligible victims
• Round 7: Announced July 17, 2026. On October 16, 2026 the Fund set the total at $320 million ($160 million for each side). Payments authorized for all eligible claims by January 1, 2027; payment amounts sent to claimants in December 2026

Each round's size depends on newly seized assets and congressional appropriations. This means timing is unpredictable, which makes advance preparation essential.

One bill in Congress would change that math. H.R.1530, the American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act (119th Congress, sponsored by Rep. Mike Lawler), would direct additional payments into the Fund each January to shore up future rounds. As of July 2026 it remains where it started: introduced on February 24, 2025 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee, with no further action taken since. It is worth knowing about, but a bill sitting in committee is a bet, not a plan. Your own timing should not assume it passes, and its status can change, so confirm the latest at congress.gov before relying on it.

How USVSST Distributions Are Taxed

Here's the single most important thing to understand about your USVSST distribution:

This is widely misunderstood in both directions. Some families are told a USVSST distribution is fully taxable as ordinary income, and others are told the whole thing is tax-free. Neither is reliably true. What matters is the character of the award:

1. The part compensating physical injury or death is generally excludable under IRC §104(a)(2).
2. Punitive damages and interest are not part of what the Fund pays: by statute it pays only against compensatory damages. Those amounts stay on your judgment and are generally taxable if recovered some other way.
3. There is no blanket USVSST exemption. Publication 3920 and IRC §139 cover the VCF, not the USVSST Fund, so a professional should look at your specific award.

Separately: Investment earnings on USVSST funds are taxable: dividends, interest, and capital gains from investing the distribution are subject to standard income tax rates. Confirm your award's treatment with your tax professional.

How to Prepare for Round 7

Now that a seventh round has been announced, here's what to do while the amount and timing are still being finalized. A one-time, pro rata payment of uncertain size that arrives on the Fund's schedule, not yours, is far easier to handle with a plan already in place:

One thing to keep in view while you prepare: a bipartisan bill introduced on July 21, 2026 would put $9 billion into the Fund over three years and require that all of it be distributed. It is sitting in committee and has not passed, so it changes nothing about this round, but it is the one legislative development worth following. Here is what the USVSST Fund Solvency Act would actually do.

1. Check your status with the Fund

Eligibility is the Fund's determination, not ours and not something you should read off an article. The Special Master decides it on your judgment and your filing, so the only reliable answer comes from the DOJ USVSST website or your attorney. What is worth doing today is making sure the Fund can reach you: confirm your contact details are current, so a notice about this round does not go to an old address.

2. Coordinate with your VCF planning

Your USVSST distribution doesn't exist in isolation. It interacts with your VCF award, pension income, Social Security benefits, and even your children's FAFSA calculations. A unified plan prevents surprises.

3. Decide the order of operations before the money moves

The hardest thing about USVSST money is not the amount. It is that the amount and the timing are both outside your control, so a payment can be smaller than expected, later than expected, and land in a year nobody planned for. Families who have worked out the order in advance tend to keep more of it, because the decisions get made calmly rather than in the weeks after a deposit.

A reasonable order looks like this. First, set aside the tax. How a USVSST payment is treated depends on what the payment is compensating, so the amount to reserve is a question for your tax professional before the money moves, not in April. Second, clear high-cost debt, where the return is simply the interest rate you stop paying. Third, fund a cash reserve you can actually reach. Only then is the question of investing the remainder worth having.

4. Find a specialist, not a generalist

General-practice financial advisors rarely understand the interplay between terrorism victim compensation, pension structures, and benefit coordination. Ask your advisor: "Have you handled USVSST distributions before?" If the answer is no, that's your signal.

Working with us: Sirmium Capital works with 9/11 families deciding what to do with a VCF or USVSST award. What we do, how the firm is paid and how to start.