Hansen & Rosasco, LLP

Joe Battista was an FDNY firefighter who worked for months at Ground Zero after the September 11^th attacks, and then spent time sifting through debris at the Fresh Kills landfill looking for human remains. This soul-crushing work eventually took its toll.

For tens of thousands of victims, survivors, and families who have suffered incomprehensible losses as a result of the September 11^th attacks, the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) have provided critical compensation and care to help them rebuild their lives. As essential and effective as these two programs have been, one thing that they cannot provide is justice and accountability for those responsible for the tragic events of that horrible day.

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was established to provide compensation and resources to those who have suffered as a result of the September 11^th attacks. But for New York first responders, rescue workers, and recovery workers, the VCF is not the only potential source of compensation for 9/11-related illnesses. The conditions caused by 9/11 exposure can and do impede victims’ ability to work and support their families. As with other injuries or illnesses which keep people off the job, 9/11-related conditions can be the basis of claims for workers’ compensation benefits.

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.