By Mike Kreidler, nsurance Commissioner, State of Washington,
I am writing in response to the article by Morris Malakoff (?Funding dries up for state Holocaust assistance,? April 7). I believe that readers were left with the misperception that our Holocaust Survivors Assistance Office was shut down. Our office is still open and actively helping survivors and their heirs.
We eliminated a management position, but not the program. The position was one of those eliminated to comply with a mandated legislative cut of 5.4 management positions. It was selected because of the diminished workload and because of our ability to transfer the work to existing Consumer Protection Division staff without diminished service to Holocaust survivors and their heirs.
Three years ago, the assessments paid by insurance companies to fund the program were stopped, following a court decision in another state. We have continued to provide the financial resources to fund the program through our own budget and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
I do not intend to let down for one moment with our insurance help for Holocaust victims and their families. We will provide this vital service as long as there are outstanding claims.
I encourage any survivor or heir who has questions about the status of their claims to contact my office at 1-800-562-6900.
Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight.
Mike Kreidler
Insurance Commissioner
State of Washington