Hansen & Rosasco, LLP

The Victim Compensation Fund provides financial benefits to individuals afflicted with illnesses related to exposure to the toxic dust plume at and around Ground Zero. If you were exposed to toxic materials at Ground Zero on 9/11 or in the months that followed (anybody who was present south of Canal Street between 9/11 and May 30, 2002 was, in fact, exposed), and you now suffer from cancer, you may have the right to receive financial compensation from the VCF. Read on to learn more about the types of cancers associated with 9/11 toxic exposure, and how to obtain money to help you pay for care and other expenses.

More than 20 years have passed since the terror attacks of 9/11. Unfortunately, for many of the first responders, general responders, or survivors who lived, worked, or attended school or daycare in lower Manhattan on the day of the attacks or in the months that followed, the nightmare continues. Even now, they suffer from illnesses due to their exposure to toxins released when the World Trade Center towers collapsed and during the eight and a half months of cleanup that followed. Below you can learn: What Is the Zadroga Act?

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, Explained: “Less than 24 hours from now, I will start my 69th round of chemotherapy,” said retired NYPD bomb squad Detective and 9/11 responder Luis Alvarez, at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing in 2019. “I should not be here with you, but you made me come. You made me come because I will not stand by and watch as my friends with cancer from 9/11, like me, are valued less than anyone else is, because of when they get sick or die.”

Many people know a federal program compensates 9/11 first responders who suffered serious medical conditions due to toxic exposure they incurred at one of the September 11 terror attack sites. What many people do not know is 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Helps More Than First Responders.

What are the WTC Health Program Eligibility Requirements? In the twenty years since the terror attacks of 9/11, life has gone on in many ways. However, for those who were injured by the terror attacks in New York City, at the Pentagon, and the crash site in Shanksville, PA, or exposed to toxins at the site, life has featured hospitals, doctors, and—in many cases—an untimely death from 9/11-related conditions.

According to a recent report from NBC News, the company that administers WTC Health Program benefits to program members living outside of New York City has lost its contract with the federal government. The company, LHI, will remain at its post until mid-2022, when the new vendor takes over its duties.

Lawyers and members of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) formed the Trial Lawyers Care (TLC) program. It assembled a massive volunteer effort to support the survivors and family members of victims of the attack and protect the civil court system from becoming another casualty of the attack.

What is the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund?

Congress originally established the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund in 2001 to bring quick financial relief to those the terror attacks hurt. The original 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) closed in 2004, but Congress reopened the program with new eligibility guidelines through the 2011 James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

It has been nearly 20 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Since that fatal day, over a hundred thousand volunteers, responders, and survivors have found themselves diagnosed with a variety of long-term chronic illnesses, cancers, and respiratory conditions. To help these individuals, Congress opened the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). This fund is the only fund that helps survivors of 9/11 obtain financial compensation for the pain and suffering they endure, plus awards for lost earnings and for wrongful death due a 9/11 disease or cancer.

COVID-19 coronavirus deaths in New York have now passed 14,000 as of April 20, 2020. This horrific number is more than the deaths on 9/11 itself and 9/11-related deaths to date – combined. It is likely that COVID-19 deaths will permanently eclipse 9/11 deaths to date and future related deaths. This is yet another tragedy for New Yorkers, and all Americans, to overcome.