Hansen & Rosasco, LLP

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. 

Many answered the call on September 11, 2001. Firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and medical professionals – among a long list of brave professionals. One group that has either gone unmentioned or received little coverage is made up of the men and women who attend to communication, electricity, water, and gas utilities. Yes, utility workers. They were also there on 9/11, as well as the months after the attacks, and they too deserve recognition – in addition to rightful compensation.

It was 17 years after seeing the first tower of the World Trade Center collapse that Marya Columbia first began to suffer.