After a period of scorn, Ken Feinberg back to making lofty proclamations

Brett Michael Dykes
·National Affairs Reporter

Say what you want about Gulf Coast Claims Facility administrator Ken Feinberg -- the man speaks boldly about tackling even the most daunting tasks. But lately the more he does speak, the more Gulf Coast residents wonder if he's just writing checks he won't be able to cash (as it were).

Yes, after loud complaints from exasperated and desperate Gulf Coast residents, the Obama Justice Department and even, well, himself, Feinberg is again touting the effectiveness of the $20 billion BP escrow fund he supervises at the behest of the oil giant and the White House.

Feinberg told the Times-Picayune that he fully expects that 90 percent of the Gulf Coast residents with financial claims against BP will eventually accept a settlement from his fund, even though frustrated claimants have been fleeing to lawyers in droves for help.

He also told ProPublica that his office is all caught up on processing the thousands of claims that have already been submitted.

"There is virtually now no backlog," Feinberg told the investigative news outfit. "We are now current with any of the older claims."

However, some claimants told ProPublica -- which has been soliciting information from applicants to track the efficiency of the claims process -- that their claims against the fund "are still waiting in limbo even though they filed with Feinberg's operation more than a month ago." Other claimants said that they had received payments in recent days -- but for sums smaller than they had expected.

Reports ProPublica:

Marcia Mandel, who filed a claim on Aug. 24 for lost income on behalf of her hotel, the Marco Island Lakeside Inn, said that her application was still under review. She said she had been told by Feinberg's organization that her documentation was complete, but that even after sending them disconnect notices from the water and electricity companies last week, she had not gotten a decision.

"Saying the backlog is gone is nonsense," Mandel said.

(Photo of Feinberg: Getty Images)