If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer or another 9/11-related illness after being present near Ground Zero in New York City between Sept. 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, you could be eligible for a portion of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

More than $7 billion sits in the fund, and many who qualify for a portion of the cash also are eligible for free lifetime medical care. Victims who were present at the Pentagon attack and at the Shanksville crash site also are eligible to apply for a portion of the Fund.

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund consists of donations given to assist victims, or a deceased victim’s family, who suffers from cancer related to the carcinogens released into the air after the terrorist attacks. Depending upon each individual circumstance, the award could amount to millions of dollars.

More than 70 different kinds of cancer are related to the toxins released on Sept. 11, 2001, and the weeks following.

Any person who was a first responder or lived or worked in the immediate surrounding area and was diagnosed with cancer four years or more after exposure (or one year or more for blood and bone cancers) could be eligible for a portion of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

The Fund generally covers people who were present near Ground Zero, defined as Lower Manhattan below Canal Street.

Unclaimed Portions of 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

Authorities say a large portion of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund has gone unclaimed, perhaps because victims are unaware it exists.

Among the victims who could be eligible are:

• First responders
• Firefighters, police officers and EMTs
• Sanitation workers
• Construction workers
• City workers
• Utility workers
• Cleaners
• 9/11 volunteers
• Out-of-state responders
• Employees who worked at any business below Canal Street
• Residents living below Canal Street
• Students going to a school below Canal Street

Statistics show 3.1 million hours of labor cleaned up 1.8 million tons of debris at Ground Zero. Many of the workers who participated in the clean-up efforts are eligible.

9/11 Hero Succumbs to Cancer

Recently, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. LeValley died of cancer related to toxins he was exposed to during 9/11.

According to the FBI, SAC LeValley was driving to work and was within four blocks of the World Trade Center when the first plane crashed into one of the towers. He drove as close as he could to the disaster, threw on his helmet and bulletproof vest and ran to help. He saw the first tower collapse from the archway of another building, but didn’t leave the scene.

In the aftermath, SAC LeValley toiled for weeks in the debris, and the FBI attributes his death as a direct result of his brave work.

According to statistics released in September 2017, a total of 159 FDNY firefighters had died of illnesses related to their exposure to carcinogens on 9/11. The NYPD said 24 police officers died of 9/11-related ailments in 2017 alone.

If you or someone you love worked or lived in and around Ground Zero at any time between Sept. 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, you could be eligible for a portion of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.