Kaiser Silica Trust announces deadlines for personal injury claims

Some claimants must file by Dec. 31, 2009

THE KAISER ALUMINUM & Chemical Corporation Silica Personal Injury Trust (the “Kaiser Silica Trust”) has announced an outreach program to notify potential claimants about eligibility requirements and compensate those claimants who are eligible. As of Aug. 10, 2009, the trust was paying 75 percent of allowed claim values. The claim values (for five categories of diseases) range from $2,500 to $250,000.

To be eligible, claimants must meet the following two requirements: Have a silica-related disease that was first diagnosed on or after Feb.12, 2002; and

• Worked in one or more of the specified industries (such as cement plants), for at least six months between 1951 and 1986 and been exposed to refractory products; OR
• Worked in industries or occupations not specified by the Kaiser Silica Trust for at least six months between 1951 and 1986, but have proof of actual exposure to Kaiser refractory products.

The trust stresses that the first diagnosis must have occurred on or after Feb. 12, 2002. If a claimant’s first diagnosis was on or before July 6, 2006, the claim must be submitted to the Kaiser Silica Trust by Dec. 31, 2009, or the claimant can contact the Kaiser Silica Trust by Dec. 31, 2009, to request up to a 180-day extension of the filing deadline. If the claimant’s diagnosis was after July 6, 2006, the claim must be filed by the later of Dec. 31, 2009, or three years after the date of the first diagnosis.

Additional information is available by calling the Kaiser Silica Trust at 1-877-453-0150. To download a claim form, go to www.kaisersilicatrust.com. To request a claim form by mail, write to the Kaiser Silica Trust c/o Trust Services Inc., P.O. Box 1299, Greenville, Texas 75403-1299. Claims may be submitted to the Kaiser Silica Trust directly or with the assistance of legal counsel.