Hundreds of people could lose their share of the Flint water settlement Thursday, if they don’t complete their paperwork.
More than 25,000 people were approved for a share of a settlement with the state of Michigan and others tied to the Flint Water crisis.
A decade ago, improperly treated drinking water exposed tens of thousands of people in Flint to high levels of lead in their tap water.
But paperwork issues, like incorrect social security numbers or a lack of signatures, have delayed the process of paying out the more than $600 million settlement.
There is a particular concern for individuals who were children at the time of the Flint water crisis. Nearly 80% of the settlement funds are to be distributed to individuals who were minors at the time of their exposure to Flint water.
A dozen years since the beginning of the water crisis, many of those children are now adults and may not have completed the paperwork they now are responsible for.
Special Master Deborah Greenspan acknowledged the issue in a court filing last month.
“As of the date of this Report, there are approximately 990 claims submitted for claimants who have now reached the age of 18 that have not responded to notices sent over a year ago requesting the necessary signatures, and approximately 1,571 claimants who have received notices more recently but have not yet provided the information,” wrote Greenspan.
A federal judge has given claimants with attorneys until October eighth to correct their paperwork or get booted from the settlement.
People who filed without an attorney have until the end of next week.
The Flint water settlement payments vary depending on the settlement category a claimant qualifies for, ranging from $400 to $25,000.
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley is urging city residents who applied for and accepted as a claimant to double check their paper before the deadline.
“Take a few minutes and make sure their information is up to date,” said Neeley. “Do not assume that everything has been completed simply because a claim was filed years ago.”
