During its first meeting of 2019, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees directed the university to re-establish a fund to support counseling and mental health services for the survivors of Larry Nassar. While the details of the new fund are being developed, the university has established an intermediate fund.
“The priority is to provide support and assistance for the survivors as soon as possible. Setting up an intermediate fund means survivors can get the help they need now while we work to establish a permanent solution,” said MSU Board of Trustees Chairperson Dianne Byrum. “We feel we learned a great deal since the identification of alleged fraud in the original fund and are confident we can move forward with an intermediate fund in a manner that supports survivors while reducing the risk of fraud.”
Commonwealth Mediation & Conciliation Inc. is again serving as the administrator for the intermediate fund, however, the team staffing the fund is different. In addition, for this fund, providers are required to sign an affidavit stating they are licensed in the state where they do business and that the treatment was related to Nassar’s abuse.
The eligibility for the intermediate fund is the same as the eligibility for the original Healing Assistance Fund. It is available to MSU health clinic patients and student-athletes whom Nassar abused, as well as the parents of these victims. Status in civil lawsuits against MSU is not a determining factor.
More information about intermediate fund eligibility and submitting claims to Commonwealth Mediation & Conciliation, Inc. is available on the Our Commitment website.
The MSU Police Department’s investigation into the reported fraud in the original Healing Assistance Fund continues.