How to claim money from BP's $20 billion fund

Shakedown or not, the $20 billion fund British Petroleum will compensate Gulf Coast residents from for the spill is going to provide some needed help.

While all the details of how it will work aren't yet final, here is a general rundown of what's known so far, what it will and won't provide in compensation and how to file claims.

How it has worked: Up to now, individual claims had to be filed with BP. They were then processed by BP's contractor ESIS and BP made a determination of whether to pay them.