From the Walton Sun:

The Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) announced Monday that more than half of the claims submitted to the organization for losses associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have been processed. Ken Feinberg, GCCF administrator, reported more than 54 percent of the roughly 256,000 claims submitted since the end of the emergency payment period in November have been processed.

“We are determined to continue to accelerate the processing of all individual and business claims submitted to the GCCF. I remain concerned about the number of claims which lack proof and remain unsubstantiated,” Feinberg said in a statement.

Wow, sounds pretty good on the surface of things…course, once one digs a little deeper the problems begin to rear their oily heads…

In Florida, where 38% of the 260, 739 claims filed were paid, though the total paid out was more about $1.25 billion, this means the average final payment comes to about $12,600 dollars. Twelve thousand dollars for total loss of wages, present and future, in an un-recovered Gulf. When you take into account that these average numbers are helped by larger payments to businesses, how much are individuals really getting?

Certainly not enough to make things right.

Also, out of the 62,204 applications submitted for interim payments, you know, those pesky claims where people don’t have to waive their right to sue British Petroleum, the GCCF’s percentage of claimants paid, that 50% number drops significantly. In fact, it drops to 4%. Of the interim payments filed, less than 2500 claims have been paid.

So, if Feinberg and the GCCF have paid half of the final payment claims, claims where people must waive their right to sue while only paying 4% of the claims where people do not, what do you think might be happening out there?

Yeah, that’s right, it would appear that people are being funneled by frustration with the interim payment process into making final payment claims.

And who would benefit the most from that development?

British Petroleum, the same company that pays Feinberg.

Have a nice day.