BP cuts the amount of claim payments down to half of those suffering which would be about 40,000 people.

BP cuts claim payments for individuals who have not completed their paperwork according to the giant BP oil spill. According to the oil giant, claim payments and cuts will be reduced by because of paperwork.

Kristy Nichols, the secretary of Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services, sent an open letter to federal BP claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg on Friday, stating that the company had confirmed to her that they would decrease payments “to individuals whose claim files were incomplete.” Nichols said in a statement:

That “will be devastating to individuals surviving financially month-to-month,”

“This action is irresponsible and in complete contrast to BP’s repeated promise that they will ‘make things right.’”

Nichols added that many people who have filed claims don’t have records that BP finds acceptable.

“It is crucial that BP not continue to penalize these individuals and instead accept alternative forms of documentation, such as records held by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries,” she said. In addition, she suggested that the company look to the state to fill in any holes before punishing distressed individuals. “It is rash for BP to make this decision without consulting the State to determine if there are alternative methods for obtaining the documentation in State records.”

Under the sea, BP has removed the containment cap that was capturing up to 25,000 barrels of oil per day. They are working to install a new oil containment system that will capture more oil. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil has been flowing freely in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday.