After begging, frustration, and great sadness for many first responders and 9/11 victims, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has finally agreed to open a vote for a bill that will create a permanent compensation fund for 9/11 victims, survivors and their families.
Because they deserve it. Because they need it. And because we care – just like Jon Stewart.
On Tuesday, June 11, an important hearing in Congress was held about making the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent. Jon Stewart, formerly of the Daily Show, gave impassioned testimony on why Congress should allocate more money to the to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Most people know the term “FBI” as the acronym for Federal Bureau of Investigation. But there is an added meaning to these letters. The letters “F,” “B,” and “I” also serve as the organization’s motto: “Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity.” On September 11, 2001, and in the months that followed, many members of the FBI proved to be living proof behind the meaning of this motto. Unfortunately, today many of these heroes are facing the toughest fight of their lives – a diagnosis of cancer.
“Working with first responders gives you a sense of the tremendous amount of sacrifice that patients or people do. When people act heroically, we are thankful, but we don’t realize that when people are doing those things, they are losing something.”
― Dr. Benjamin Luft, director of the World Trade Center Health Program at Stony Brook University.
As if the aftermath of 9/11 could not possibly get worse – it has. The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), which compensates responders and survivors with 9/11-related cancers, is running out of money. All VCF awards are now being slashed by 50% – 70%. This will continue and likely get even worse – unless Congress restores additional funding.
Is there a deadline to file a claim for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF)? Yes. All claims must be fully submitted to the VCF prior to December 18, 2020 – but you should consider filing sooner. The $7 billion fund dedicated to providing financial compensation is running dangerously low.
Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancers among survivors of the 9/11 terror attacks, as well as Downtown New York City residents, workers, and students who were present in the area the day of and thereafter. That’s why if you lived, worked, or spent time in Lower Manhattan between September 11, 2001, and May 30, 2002, it’s especially important to know how to identify skin cancer.
You are a cleaner in a downtown Manhattan office building on 9/11. In 2018, you were just diagnosed with 9/11 breast cancer. Your exact diagnosis is invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), the most common type of breast cancer. Almost 80% of all breast cancers are invasive ductal carcinomas. You are only 51 and your family has no history of cancer. You are very scared for you and your family.
The recent passing of a veteran NYPD cop who rushed to the World Trade Center on September 11th is yet another unwelcome reminder that cancers and other illnesses related to that terrible day continue to take the lives of first responders, recovery workers, and others.
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