Hansen & Rosasco, LLP

Not all 9/11-related illnesses and medical conditions make themselves known at the same time. Years can go by between the diagnosis of one condition and the diagnosis of a separate 9/11 illness or cancer. Additionally, new conditions continue to be certified as 9/11-related and thus eligible for treatment through the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and compensation from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).

By law, the Special Master who administers the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) must issue an annual status report outlining the fund’s activities for the previous year. The reports identify progress and any shortcomings in processing claims and awarding compensation to thousands of first-responders, recovery workers and other individuals who have suffered from cancer and other illnesses relating to the September 11^th attacks.

On the heels of an increasing number of stories about 9/11 victims being denied compensation, benefits, or care for conditions that have already been certified as 9/11-related, the New York Daily News published an editorial urging certain federal agencies and New York City pension authorities to clear roadblocks which they have placed in the way of victims.

If you live on Long Island and are a member of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), the treatments, resources, and facilities available to you have significantly expanded and improved.

The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) provides cost-free medical monitoring and treatment for individuals who have suffered physical injuries arising out of or related to the September 11^th attacks. However, only those injuries and conditions contained on the WTCHP’s list of “WTC-Related Physical Health Conditions” qualify for benefits under the program. That list can be amended by the WTC Program Administrator to include other health conditions if new research and evidence shows a relationship between 9/11 terrorist site exposures and those health conditions.

Cancer can strike anyone at any time. But for survivors, first responders, and recovery workers who were present at the World Trade Center and in Lower Manhattan on and in the days after the September 11^th attacks, cancer is an even greater risk. The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) has identified over 68 kinds of cancers related to the toxic dust that arose from the rubble after the Towers collapsed. A full list of cancers covered by the WTCHP and included on the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions can be found here.

Adults weren’t the only people who found themselves near the World Trade Center and in Lower Manhattan on September 11^th, 2001. Plenty of children were in the area on that terrible day, and a new study has come to a disturbing conclusion: kids exposed to the toxic dust cloud that arose from the debris have shown early warning signs of cardiovascular disease.

In July, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) released its quarterly report discussing the progress of its work processing claims and granting awards for compensation to those who have suffered from illness and injury or lost a loved one as a result of the September 11^th attacks.

As the years have passed since that terrible day the Twin Towers were brought down, researchers keep learning more about the long-term health consequences related to the inhalation of toxic dust and other hazardous materials at the World Trade Center site.

Many of the losses suffered by victims of the September 11^th attacks aren’t necessarily reflected in medical bills or in paychecks which never come. The trauma from that terrible day can be felt in pain, psychological or emotional distress, and the inability to enjoy life as it once was. While such losses can’t be seen, they are very real, and awards of Zadroga Act compensation can include damages for what is commonly referred to as “pain and suffering.” However, such claims have certain limitations and there are caps that have been placed on the amount that can be awarded for such “non-economic” losses.