NH YDC Settlement: Get Your Payout as a Lump Sum

How New Hampshire YDC Settlement Payments Work

The New Hampshire Youth Development Center (YDC) was a state-run juvenile detention facility in Manchester. The NH YDC settlement fund was established by the New Hampshire Legislature under NH RSA 21-M:11-a to compensate survivors of abuse at the facility spanning more than 50 years. The statute covers not only the YDC itself but also its predecessor and successor institutions: the State Industrial School, the Anna Philbrook Center, the Tobey Special Education School, and the Sununu Youth Services Center.

Survivors who receive an award through the YDC claims process are paid in 10 annual installments, not as a single lump sum. More than 2,200 people have submitted claims to the fund. As of January 2026, 425 claims have been resolved totaling $239 million in settlement money, while approximately 1,700 claims remain pending. The claims filing deadline closed June 30, 2025. The fund is nonlapsing and continuously appropriated through June 30, 2032.

Compensation Caps Under RSA 21-M:11-a

The statute sets maximum awards by category of abuse. The $2.5 million figure people most often hear applies only to egregious sexual abuse. Other categories have lower caps.

The fund cannot authorize more than $75 million in claims payments in any single fiscal year without approval from the joint fiscal committee and the governor and council. That cap, combined with the 10-year payment schedule, is why even large awards arrive as annual installments rather than a single check.

We hear from survivors regularly who tell us the same thing: waiting a decade to receive their full compensation creates real financial hardship. Some need to pay off debt or cover medical costs now. Others simply want to control their own money instead of waiting for the State of New Hampshire to send them a check once a year. Whatever your reason, you have the right to decide how and when you receive the money that was awarded to you.

An important protection: Under NH RSA 21-M:11-a, if the State of New Hampshire defaults on any payment, the Administrator's final decision automatically converts into a final judgment enforceable in any New Hampshire Superior Court. The claimant is also entitled to reimbursement for reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred to enforce such a judgment. The state has 30 days to cure any default before this provision takes effect. This means your payment rights have real legal backing, not just a promise.

Why Survivors Choose a Lump Sum

Most survivors who contact us need money for medical costs, housing, or debt that cannot wait for 10 years of annual payments.

Your compensation should help you now, not slowly trickle in for the next decade. The most common reason survivors contact us is to pay off debt or cover medical and therapy costs. After that, it is housing. People want to buy a home, put down a deposit, or simply get into a stable living situation. Here are some of the other reasons we see:

• Purchase a vehicle
• Purchase income-producing real estate
• Start or invest in a business
• Fund education or job training
• Gain financial control and independence, the money is yours and you want to decide how to use it
• Simplify your financial picture by ending the annual payment relationship with the state

And there are plenty of other compelling reasons. Whatever yours is, we do not require you to justify your decision. The choice to sell is yours alone. We are here to give you a free, confidential quote and let you decide if and when it makes sense. No pressure. Ever.

How Selling Your YDC Settlement Payments Works

You receive a free quote, review the agreement with independent counsel, and a New Hampshire judge approves the transfer. CSF covers all court costs.

1. Get a free valuation. Tell us how many annual payments you expect to receive and how much each payment is (after your attorney takes his or her share). We will calculate a fair lump-sum offer. You do not have to sell your full settlement to get a quote.
2. Review the agreement. If you would like to proceed, we send you a transfer agreement with full disclosures about your rights, the amounts involved, and the discount rate applied. No surprises.
3. Independent advice. We strongly recommend you consult with an independent attorney, accountant, or financial advisor before signing. You should be represented by an attorney throughout this process.
4. Court approval at our expense. We initiate the court process required by the New Hampshire Structured Settlement Protection Act (NH Rev Stat § 408-G:1 (2023)) at our expense. A New Hampshire judge must review and approve the transfer and find that it is in your best interest. You never pay for this.
5. Receive your lump sum. Once the court issues its approval order, your lump sum is paid to you by check, wire, or other electronic payment. Often much faster than you would expect.

You choose how much to sell. You can sell all remaining payments or just a portion, whatever makes the most sense for your situation.

Have questions about your specific situation? Call us at (800) 317-3769. That gets you a direct line to our team, not a call center.

What to Know About Working With Catalina Structured Funding

• You never pay out of pocket. The amount we quote is the net amount you receive, with all transaction costs accounted for in the discount rate. CSF covers the entire court filing process at our expense.
• Good credit is not required. Your eligibility is based primarily on your approved YDC settlement payment schedule, not your credit score or employment status.
• You stay in control. You choose which payments to sell, how many, and whether to proceed at all. A quote is free and non-binding. You can sell part of your settlement and keep the rest.
• Attorney-operated company. CSF is run by licensed attorneys, including our CEO. We have closed more than 4,000 structured settlement transactions and know the court process inside and out.
• Confidential. Your information and your decision are private. We do not share your information with anyone.
• Respectful, compassionate support. We understand what you have been through. For many YDC survivors, this money represents far more than a financial transaction. Our team provides confidential, compassionate assistance at every step.

Privacy Protection for Claim Records

Records of the YDC claims administration are exempt from the New Hampshire Right-to-Know Law under RSA 91-A:5, XIII. This means your claim submissions, supporting materials, and the administrator's internal processing files cannot be released through a public records request.

The exemption is not absolute. Settlement agreements remain publicly accessible as governmental records under RSA 91-A:4, VI. After a claim is finally resolved, the administrator may release other records if disclosure would not violate other law or constitute an unwarranted invasion of a claimant's privacy. The legislature built this framework specifically to balance survivor confidentiality against transparency in how state funds are spent.

If you are weighing whether to engage with the claims process or are concerned about who can see your materials, the short answer is that the records of your claim stay confidential. A CSF transaction to convert your payments into a lump sum is a separate process. Your CSF transaction is not part of the claims administrator's file and is governed by the privacy protections of the court approval process, not by RSA 91-A:5, XIII.

If you arrived at this page looking for "pre-settlement funding" in New Hampshire, that is a different product. Pre-settlement funding refers to cash advances against pending personal-injury lawsuits before any settlement is reached. The YDC fund is a state-administered claims process, not pre-settlement funding. For NH residents researching the distinction between pre-settlement funding and selling settlement payments, see our guide to pre-settlement funding in New Hampshire.

Proposed Changes: Senate Bill 558 (2026 Session)

A bill introduced in the 2026 session, Senate Bill 558, would shift the YDC claims administrator from the executive branch to the judicial branch. Under current law, the governor and executive council appoint the administrator. Under SB 558, the Supreme Court would appoint the administrator. The bill would also roll back three changes made in 2025 HB 2: the requirement that attorney's fees in periodic payment cases be paid in installments with a 5% annual interest assessment, the 30-day acceptance window following the administrator's decision, and the monthly itemized reporting requirement (replaced with quarterly reporting).

SB 558 was introduced by Sen. Altschiller and several co-sponsors, referred to the Judiciary Committee, and has a proposed effective date of July 1, 2026. If it passes, the administrator's decisions would become final and non-appealable on issuance without a mutual acceptance window, and attorney's fees on periodic-payment awards would no longer accrue interest or be stretched across the payment schedule. We will update this page with the bill's status as it progresses. Nothing in SB 558 changes your right to sell your YDC payments for a lump sum under the New Hampshire Structured Settlement Protection Act.

Important Disclosures

We do not provide legal, tax, or financial advice. A lump-sum purchase is a financial transaction involving the transfer of future structured settlement payment rights. This is not a loan. All decisions should be made in consultation with your attorney, certified public accountant, or other financial advisor of your choice. We strongly recommend you get such advice from an independent qualified third party.

This transaction is governed by the New Hampshire Structured Settlement Protection Act (NH Rev Stat § 408-G:1 (2023)), which controls and governs the transfer of all structured settlement payments in the State of New Hampshire. It requires a court order process where a judge must approve the sale, transfer, or encumbrance of any structured settlement payments, including a transfer in whole or in part. The transfer of YDC settlement payments is also subject to NH Rev Stat § 21-M:11-a (2024).

State default protection (NH RSA 21-M:11-a): Should the state default on any payment owed pursuant to a final decision by the administrator, the administrator's final decision shall convert into a final judgment enforceable in any superior court of New Hampshire, unless the state cures the default by making such payment in full within 30 days. The claimant shall also be entitled to reimbursement for any reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred to enforce such a judgment.

• NH Rev Stat § 408-G:1 (2023): New Hampshire Structured Settlement Protection Act
• NH Rev Stat § 21-M:11-a (2024): YDC Settlement Fund statute

Catalina Structured Funding, Inc. is a licensed structured settlement purchaser. We do not represent survivors' interests in the court approval process. Survivors should have independent counsel.