The day after comedian Jon Stewart met with the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to implore them to designate funding to the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the House unanimously passed a bill reauthorizing the fund.

Testimony and the House Judiciary Committee

Jon Stewart, former host of “The Daily Show,” met with the subcommittee on June 12 to give testimony on behalf of 9/11 cancer victims and their families. His emotional testimony regarding the financial compensation program for 9/11 victims who were diagnosed with cancer due to toxins released in the terrorist attacks may have convinced the House subcommittee to pass the bill reauthorizing the fund permanently.

The bill will now go to the floor of the House of Representatives, where it is expected to pass, and continue to the Senate.

9/11 Victims Compensation Fund

The new bill proposes permanently reauthorizing the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, which was set to expire in December 2020.

The fund was initially created in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, and has been reauthorized several times since then. After the last time the fund was reauthorized in 2015, it was expected to last five years and expire in December 2020 due to a lack of funding.

Earlier this year, fund administrators released a statement regarding the depleted financial state of the fund, and informed victims that current and future claims would be paid out at a small percentage of their original value. However, if the new bill passes, current and future pending claims may be paid in full to victims.

The victims compensation fund was created to provide necessary financial support to victims who have been diagnosed with cancer due to exposure to toxins released in the attacks. When the attacks happened, dust clouds filled with asbestos, glass, silica, lead, mercury, metals, plastics, and fiberglass were released. Many people who lived, worked, or went to school near the site of the attacks and were exposed to this toxic dust have been diagnosed with cancer as a result of these toxins.

Who May Qualify?

Many types of people may qualify to apply for compensation through the 9/11 cancer victims compensation fund. Those who lived, worked, or went to school below Canal Street in the immediate aftermath of the attacks may have exposed to toxins, and may qualify. First responders, police officers, firefighters, volunteers, city and utility workers, residents, and students are among the eligible types of victims.

Many types of cancer qualify victims to apply for compensation through the fund. For most cancers, victims must have been diagnosed at least four years following their exposure to 9/11 related toxins. For blood and bone cancers, this time limitation is reduced to one year following exposure. Qualifying cancers include:

• Melanoma
• Brain cancer
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Lung cancer
• Breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Colon cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Nasal or mouth cancer
• Liver cancer
• Sarcoma
• Leukemia
• Multiple myeloma

If you have been diagnosed with a qualifying cancer following exposure to toxic dust and chemicals in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, you may be able to apply for compensation through the fund. Although the fund may be reauthorized, it is still set to expire in December 2020, making it imperative that victims submit their claims as soon as possible. Hiring an experienced attorney to assist you in the process of submitting a claim for may be helpful in your pursuit of compensation.