Only about 100 or so oil spill claims had been denied as of the end of September. Given recent comments by oil spill claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg about claims' lack of documentation, it was only a matter of time before claims started being denied en masse.

The Associated Press noted yesterday:

Some 20,000 people have been told they have no right to emergency compensation, compared to about 125 denials at the end of September.

I'd be interested in hearing from people who have been denied payment by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. If that's you, email me with an explanation of your claim and why it was denied: arestuccia@washingtonindependent.com.