Sage Datko  |  July 2, 2019

Category: Consumer News

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White rose on 9/11 memorial

A recent bill passed by a House panel on June 12, 2019 may offer relief for victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

The new bill will authorize additional funding for the Victims Compensation Fund, a financial fund meant to provide compensation to victims who were diagnosed with cancer following exposure to toxic chemicals released in the attacks.

The fund was initially set to expire in December 2020. However, many victim advocates, including comedian and former host of the Daily Show, Jon Stewart, have put pressure on policymakers to extend the length of the fund’s authorization and allocate more money to victims.

Under the new bill, the fund will be reauthorized until 2090. The bill does not specify a dollar amount of funding to be allocated to the Victims Compensation Fund but calls for the fund to remain open until that date. Following the unanimous passage by the House panel, the bill will head to the House floor for a vote by the full chamber, according to The Hill.

The bill is a signal of hope to many victims. In February 2019, the fund’s administrator announced that due to insufficient funding, all pending and future claims would be paid out at a fraction of their initial worth.

Many victims were left to wonder how they would afford medical expenses and treatments. Additionally, many of the cancers caused by the toxins released in the attacks take years to develop and be diagnosed. It is likely that there are many additional victims of the September 11th attacks who have not yet been diagnosed.

Many types of people may be eligible to apply for compensation through the fund. If you lived, worked, attended school, or had another qualifying reason to be present near the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, between Sept. 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, you may be eligible for compensation from the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. 

According to CNN, as of July 31, 2018, the fund has distributed $4.1 billion in compensation.

What is the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund?

The 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund was established in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, and was created with the intent of providing compensation for any individual who was harmed or killed as a result of the attacks.

The original Victims Compensation Fund operated from 2001 until 2004. The legislation enacting the Fund was reactivated in 2011 by President Barak Obama when he signed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. This bill allowed the Fund to operate for five years, until October 2016.

However before the Fund expired, President Obama reauthorized it in December 2015. This reauthorized law extended the Victims Compensation Fund for five more years and will allow individuals to submit 9/11 claims to the fund until Dec. 18, 2020.

Who is Eligible?

The 9/11 attacks released thousands of cancer-causing toxins into the air. Many people who were near the site of these attacks breathed in this toxic dust, causing them to develop serious health conditions including cancer.

Over 70 types of cancer qualify for compensation from the Victims Compensation Fund, as long as the diagnosis of the cancer was made 4 years or more after exposure. For bone and blood cancers, this period is reduced to 1 year or more after exposure.

Qualifying cancers include but are not limited to:

  • Bladder cancer
  • Bone cancer
  • Brain cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Colon cancer
  • Esophagus cancer
  • Kidney cancer   
  • Leukemia
  • Liver cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Melanoma
  • Mesothelioma
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Skin cancer
  • Stomach cancer
  • Thyroid cancer

People who are eligible to apply for compensation from this fund include many kinds of workers who were in the area following the attacks.

These workers include first responders, firefighters, police officers, EMTs, sanitation workers, construction workers, city workers, utility workers, and cleaners.

Volunteers and out-of-state responders are also included, as well as employees, residents, and students who worked, lived, or went to school below Canal Street. Others may also be eligible.

Victims who are eligible to apply for compensation from the fund may receive thousands of dollars as compensation for their illness or injuries. Some victims may also be awarded free lifetime medical care. 

If you lived, worked, or went to school near Ground Zero between Sept. 11, 2001, until May 31, 2002, and have been diagnosed with a qualifying cancer, you may be eligible to apply for compensation or medical bill assistance from the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

Navigating the complex and burdensome paperwork and strict deadlines to participate in the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund can be difficult. An experienced 9/11 Victim Fund attorney can help and ensure you get the maximum compensation available.

If you were present near Ground Zero, generally considered to be Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, between September 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, and were diagnosed with cancer 4 years or more after exposure (or 1 year or more for blood and bone cancers), you may qualify for compensation.

Submit your information now for a free, no-obligation review of your potential 9/11 cancer fund claim.

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If you qualify, a September 11 Victim Compensation Fund attorney will contact you to discuss the details of your potential claim at no charge to you.

PLEASE NOTE: If you want to participate in this investigation, it is imperative that you reply to the law firm if they call or email you. Failing to do so may result in you not getting signed up as a client or getting you dropped as a client.

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