The program to compensate victims of a faulty ignition switch in General Motors vehicles has approved two new death claims, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the issue to 29.
Since Aug. 1, approximately 1,517 claims for compensation for serious injuries or deaths to have been caused by the issue had been received, according to Reuters, citing a new report by the office of Kenneth Feinberg, who GM has hired to run the program.
All of the claims were received and approved as of Friday.
GM has been in hot water for most of 2014 for waiting 11 years to start recalling millions of vehicles with ignition-switch issues that were linked to fatalities.
The switch can slip out of position, causing vehicles to stall and disable air bags. The defect led to the recall of 2.6 million vehicles earlier this year.
The report shows that 56 claims have been deemed eligible for compensation, including the 29 deaths and 27 injuries.
In total, the number of claims received for injuries and deaths was up nearly 11 percent from 1,371 last week, according to the report. The rise is attributable in part to six new death claims, which caused the total number of death claims to rise to 184.
The number of less-serious injuries, those that require hospitalization but do not cause serious permanent damage, is up from 1,108 to 1,240, according to Reuters.
Applications will be accepted until Dec. 31 on behalf of individuals injured or killed in accidents they say were caused by the switch, which caused a recall of more than 2.6 million vehicles. The problem with the switch can cause it to slip out of position, effectively stalling the vehicle, and disabling airbags.
GM executives have said Feinberg will figure out how many people are eligible for compensation under the program and the fund "has not be capped," according to Reuters.
Eligible death claims will receive at least $1 million, which could increase depending on factors like if the deceased had any dependents.
The automaker set aside $400 million to cover the compensation costs, and said the total could rise by another $200 million.
Claims that haven't been approved yet are either not eligible, are awaiting further documentation or are still under review, according to Feinberg's office.
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