(November 30, Washington)  Peggy Neff may lose the home she shard with her partner of 18 years.  Sheila Hein was killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, just outside Washington in Virginia.

American Airlines Flight 77 slammed directly into the office where Hein was been assigned only a week earlier.

Virginia's Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund for assistance soon but the administrators refused to accept the couple were anything but "friends".

"Please accept our condolences on the loss of your friend, Sheila M.S. Hein,'' the state wrote in an Oct. 19 reply. ``We regret to inform you that you are not eligible to file a claim for benefits under the Virginia Victims of Crime Act.''

Peggy Neff Sheila Hein

Under state law, only a surviving spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, adult child or legal dependent of a deceased victim can file a claim and receive an award.

Governor Jim Gilmore is unlikely to follow New York Gov. George Pataki's lead in offering financial assistance to domestic partners of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Our law is pretty clear on who is eligible, and it does not include domestic partners,'' Reed Boatright, a spokesperson for the governor said. 

David Smith a spokesperson for the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, was outraged. "Is [Gilmore] going to take care of all the victims who died in Virginia, or just some of them?'' 

Neff said she thought they did everything to protect their assets. Hein made Neff the beneficiary of her savings account. They drafted wills and executed medical powers of attorney. Neff took out a $150,000 life insurance policy six months ago so Hein could keep the house if Neff died. But, Hein had life insurance through work.  Because she failed to designate a beneficiary the money went to her mother who never recognized her daughter's sexuality.

In desperation, with money running out, Neff contacted several charities and government agencies seeking help with the mortgage. The National Association of Realtors paid her mortgage for three months, the Red Cross gave $7,900 and the HRC donated $2,000.

Other groups, including the United Way and the Salvation Army, turned her down.

The federal government also established a Victim Compensation Fund after the September 11th attacks to provide support, but the Justice Department won't release a final draft of eligibility rules until Dec. 22. The draft is expected to offer guidelines on whether to include the partners of gays and lesbians and must have 90 days of public review.

Neff says she may be homeless by then.

She had planned to scatter her partner's ashes in the garden of their Hyattsville, Md. "I can't even put Sheila to rest. I want to make sure I can stay here before I do anything,''  Neff said.

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