(6/15/2004) - The Associated Press reports that officials overseeing the fund set up to settle victims' claims from the Sept. 11 attacks will make their final decisions today for awarding money to those injured or killed.

According to AP, the program created by Congress had authorized $5.9 billion in payments as of Monday afternoon, ranging from $500 to $8.6 million per claim.

AP reports that fund administrators have determined awards for 2,454 out of 2,963 death claims, and 2,449 injury claims out of about 4,400. The vast majority of injury claims are for lung-related ailments from those who worked in rescue and recovery operations at the World Trade Center site.

Close to 2,000 injury claims are expected to be rejected or withdrawn due to insufficient medical proof of injuries, according to AP.

AP reports that fund workers still have hundreds of claims to finalize before their congressionally imposed Tuesday deadline, said Kenneth Feinberg, the special master overseeing the fund.

"We will be working right up until midnight," he said.