If you were present at “Ground Zero” any time between September 11, 2001 and May 31, 2002, and later developed cancer, you could be eligible to receive compensation from the Victims Compensation Fund established to help victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

9/11 cancer victims still have time to file VCF claims and possibly get a share of $7.3 billion.

The 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to help compensate individuals physically harmed by the terrorist attacks. The Victims Compensation Fund also provides funds to families of those who died as a result of the injuries they suffered in the terrorist attacks.

In lower Manhattan, 2,753 were killed as a result of the terrorist attacks. Tragically, the damage done by the attacks continues almost two decades after.

Many people suffer injury and illness related to the airborne toxins that were released during the terrorist attacks at the sites of the attacks, also known as “Ground Zero.” These toxins included glass, asbestos, aluminum and burned jet fuel.

Studies have shown that exposure to these toxins can result in the development of a range of cancers. Patient reports have shown that even years after 9/11, people present at Ground Zero have developed cancer as a result of their exposure to toxins.

9/11 cancer victims and families of deceased victims have already filed VCF claims, and have reportedly received payouts that range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars.

Though the fund was first set to close in October 2016, a bill signed by President Obama extended the fund to continue to provide compensation until 2020. This extension was made in part because it was discovered that patients developed cancers related to exposure to toxins during 9/11 even many years after the attacks.

When the fund was first active, many victims who filed VCF claims were denied compensation because they were “not injured enough.” However, as more information is gained about the types of injuries patients suffer, and the fact that injury, like cancers, take many years to develop, the fund now covers a wider range of injury. This gives more victims their chance to receive compensation for injuries that they suffered.

Over 70 types of cancer have been covered by the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. The fund covers cancer victims if the diagnosis was made one or more years after 9/11 in the case of bone and blood cancers, and if the diagnosis was made four or more years after 9/11 in the case of other cancers.

Thousands of people who developed cancer as a result of their exposure to 9/11 toxins have already claimed millions of tax-free dollars from this fund, and other victims can do the same. Claimants may benefit from the help of a knowledgeable attorney to guide them through the process of filing a claim.