A Survivors’ Compensation Program created for those who were victims of Catholic Church sex abuse in Pennsylvania requires recipients to waive their rights to file a lawsuit.

Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania have created a possible pathway to compensation for those who were sexually abused by Catholic priests, according to a report by the York Daily Record. The Survivor’s Compensation program provides funds to survivors, as well as other types of assistance. The total amount of money in the fund, or how many people may be eligible for compensation from the fund has yet to be announced.

The Survivors’ Compensation Program will be overseen by attorneys Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros. Feinberg has administered a similar fund in New York, in which the Archdiocese of New York paid around $40 million to 189 victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Feinberg has also administered the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and other programs.

Though the Surivivors’ Compensation Program may be valuable to many survivors, there is a catch. Those who receive compensation and other assistance from the fund have to agree to not sue the Harrisburg diocese in court. This may prevent some victims from being able to receive larger compensation through litigation.

Survivors who received previous settlements through other channels are not eligible to receive additional compensation from the Survivors’ Compensation Fund. Additionally, because recipients from the Survivors’ Compensation Fund cannot sue once they receive benefits, this may lead to valuable evidence being suppressed, and can prevent further investigation into the pattern of abuse.

Lawsuits are important ways for evidence to come to light, and this stipulation may prevent some abusive priests from being brought to justice, and may enable the Catholic Church to not be held accountable for covering up abuse.

Mark Rozzi, a Democratic state House representative from Berks County and a survivor of abuse, told the York Daily Record that the fund is not what all victims preferred, nor was it recommended by the grand jury that investigated sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania. However, Rozzi does say that the fund is “a step in the right direction.”

Rozzi went on to say “I’m appreciative of the diocese finally setting up the fund. Something is better than nothing and it does show the diocese is willing to accept some accountability.”

Rozzi notes that the fund is most valuable to people who cannot or will not take their cases through the court system. He says that many victims are senior citizens and don’t want to go through the arduous process of pursuing litigation against the church, or “can’t even make it to a court battle.”

Rozzi says that he believes that Pennsylvania both needs the Survivors’ Compensation Fund and legislation that will allow victims to pursue lawsuits against the church, which is being called a “window to justice.”

The “window to justice” bill, which passed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in September would give victims of child sexual abuse a “two-year window” in which they can sue abusers and institutions like the Catholic Church, even if their cases have surpassed the state’s statute of limitations.